Roy Abraham Varghese - God-Sent: A History of the Accredited Apparitions of Mary

The Crossroad Publishing Company
www.CrossroadPublishing.com

Copyright 2000 by Roy Abraham Varghese

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the written permission of The Crossroad Publishing Company.

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Varghese, Roy Abraham.

God-sent / by Roy Abraham Varghese.

p. cm.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN-13: 978-0-8245-2651-1 (pbk. : alk. paper)

1. Mary, Blessed Virgin, Saint Apparitions and miracles History.

I. Title.

BT650 .V37 2000

232.91'7 dc21 99-050709

This printing: 2018

For our three God-sends
RachelLittle Lamb
MaryExalted of God
MichaelWho is like God

with the fervent prayer that the God-sent
will extend her maternal mantle over their lives

If I saw an angel come down to teach us good, and I was convinced from others seeing him that I was not mad, I should believe in design.

CHARLES DARWIN, Letter to Asa Gray in The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin

I do not think our cures can compete with those at Lourdes. There are so many more people who believe in the miracle of the Blessed Virgin than in the existence of the unconscious.

SIGMUND FREUD, New Introductory Lectures on Psycho-Analysis

I had read a lot about the fashions and frivolity of Paris. These were in evidence in every street, but the churches stood noticeably apart from these scenes. A man would forget the outside noise and bustle as soon as he entered one of these churches. His manner would change, he would behave with dignity and reverence as he passed someone kneeling before the image of the Virgin. The feeling I had then has since been growing on me, that all this kneeling and prayer could not be mere superstition; the devout souls kneeling before the Virgin could not be worshiping mere marble. I have an impression that I felt then that by this worship they were not detracting from, but increasing, the glory of God.

MAHATMA GANDHI, My Experiments with Truth: An Autobiography

I had some stunning thoughts last night, the result of studying Tolstoi, Spengler, New Testament and also the result of praying to St. Mary to intercede for me to make me stop being a maniacal drunkard. So far, every prayer addressed to the Holy Mother has been answered. But I do want to point out, the reason I think she intercedes so well for us, is because she too is a human being.

JACK KEROUAC, Letter to Bob Giroux, February 1963

Is Christ only to be adored? Or is the holy Mother of God rather not to be honored? This is the woman who crushed the serpents head. Hear us. For your Son denies you nothing.

MARTIN LUTHER, Last Sermon at Wittenberg, January 1546

Love gave her a thousand names.

Flemish hymn on the titles of Mary

The Lord, the apostles, and the prophets have taught us that we must venerate in the first place the Holy Mother of God, who is above all the heavenly powers. If any one does not confess that the holy, ever virgin Mary, really and truly the Mother of God, is higher than all creatures visible and invisible, and does not implore with a sincere faith her intercession, given her powerful access to our God born of her, let him be anathema.

Second Council of Nicaea (Seventh Ecumenical Council of the undivided Church, accepted by Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox)

It is not every spirit, my dear people, that you can trust; test them, to see if they come from God; you can tell the spirits that come from God by this: every spirit which acknowledges that Jesus the Christ has come in the flesh is from God.

1 John 4:13

Then the dragon was enraged with the woman and went away to make war on the rest of her children, that is, all who obey Gods commandments and bear witness for Jesus.

Revelation 12:17

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am grateful first to my wife, Anila, and my family for the many sacrifices they have had to make in the course of my working on this book.

I am grateful also to many of the students and authorities on Marian apparitions who have provided direct assistance for this work and in particular the following:

Tim and Melissa Laurel, for assembling the graphics in this volume and in particular for creating the cover.

Dudley Plunkett, for his kind and thorough reviews of various drafts of this volume and for the information in his books on Marian apparitions.

Dr. Courtenay Bartholomew, for the use of his fine collection of photographs and for the information in his two books on the subject.

Dr. Thomas Petrisko, for photographs used in this volume and for the information in his many works on Marian apparitions.

Mr. Robert Schaeffer, for photographs used in this volume.

Dr. Kazimierz Dadak, for his constant assistance.

Mrs. Rocilda Oliveiro of Campo Grande, Brazil, for the information on the Black Madonna of Brazil.

Mrs. Patrizia de Ferrari of Crdoba, Argentina, for information on Our Lady of San Nicols and the use of photographs.

Mrs. Janice T. Connell, for the information in her various works on Marian apparitions.

Mr. Mark Alder of London, England, for information on Our Lady of Walsingham.

Mrs. Loreto Mary Whelton of London, England, for information on Our Lady of Walsingham.

Ms. Ann Ball of Houston, for the use of photographs and for valuable information from her book on Marian shrines.

Fr. Albert Ostatek, for the picture of Our Lady of Czestochowa; Mr. Joseph Cassano, for the picture of Our Lady of Cuapa; Mrs. Maria Rota, for various pictures; Mrs. Miriam A. Weglian and Mr. Stephen M. Weglian, for information on Our Lady of Cuapa from their book Let Heaven and Earth Unite!

The copyright on the image of Our Lady of LaVang reprinted here belongs to the Blue Army of Vietnam.

A CHRONOLOGY OF THE APPARITIONS OF THE VIRGIN

INTRODUCTION

The story of the Virgin Marys mystical appearances in every culture and era since the coming of Christ is without parallel or precedent. All peoples and nations have their own tale of the Virgins visitation. She has left her mark in the lands of Hindus, Jews, and Moslems, Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox, Buddhists and Shintoists, Confucians and Communists, Aztecs and animists. Her maternal mien has been perceived and portrayed in every major racial and social world. She is without question the mother of all humanity, of all races and nations. She is the meeting place of the mystical and the historical.

Immeasurably more intriguing than UFOs and extraterrestrials is the phenomenon of a human and yet heavenly being who bears witness to another world, who comes not to mystify but as a messenger on a mission. And those who seek solace in New Age gurus and high-tech soothsayers will be better served if they turn to Mary of the Magnificat, who was once God-chosen and is now God-sent.