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CELESTIAL APPARITIONS

Rama P. Coomaraswamy, M.D.

- PART ONE

OUR LADY OF ALL PEOPLES: HOLLAND’S MODERNIST MADONNA

A recent article on the false apparitions of Our Lady at Necedah in Michigan leads one to consider the problem in greater detail - for the phenomena of false apparitions is legion, and seems to be springing up in many different parts of the world. We will limit our study to three such manifestations with which many of our readers are possibly no longer familiar, one Dutch, one Italian and one American, with a brief discussion of the “Marian Movement of Priests” which seems to have originated in Poland. Some will perhaps complain that I have by- passed their favorite Apparition - the Mexican "Portavoz," or "Loudspeaker;" the visions of Clemente Gomez, Stigmatist-Seer of Paimar de Troya; or Our Lady of Necedah, and for this I can only apologize. The false apparitions of Our Lady leads one to consider the problem in greater detail - for the phenomena of false apparitions is, as we have said, legion. Yet, if the principles we outline in these case studies are valid, they can be applied to any and all such phenomena.

Before proceeding further, let me clearly express my belief in the many apparitions of Our Lady that the Catholic Church has approved of: Lourdes, La Salette, Fatima, to mention but a few. In the future such approval by the post-Conciliar church is not likely to occur, for Canon 1399 (which prohibited the publication of new prophecies and apparitions without an Imprimatur) was abolished by the-Sacred Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith on Wednesday, October 12, 1966, a decision ap- proved by Paul VI on the 14th of the same month (Acia Apostolicae Sedis, 58-1966, 1186). In essence then, the New Church allows the publication of information about apparitions without restriction and without comment.

While a belief in the appari- tion of Our Lady to Saint Bernadette Soubirous is not necessary for salvation, few Catholics would deny its validity. As the episodes have been well studied and documented, we can draw from them a pattern by which to judge other miraculous or supposedly miraculous appearances. What makes this of special value is that we have St. Bernadette's description of the events in her own handwriting. I shall translate one or two pertinent sections from her letters for our edification:

"The first time I had gone to gather wood with two other children. Arriving at the Grotto, my two companions started to cross a rivulet, while I remained alone on the other side. I asked them to throw some stones in the water so I could cross without removing my shoes and stockings, but they told me to cross as they had. I tried to cross without removing them, but found that I could not, so I returned to the Grotto and started to take them off. No sooner had I started to do so but I heard a sound like the rushing of wind. I looked at the trees on the other side of the stream, and saw that they were calm, so I went back to removing my shoes. I again heard the noise, and turned my head towards the Grotto. There I saw a Lady dressed in white, with a blue belt, and a fresh rose on each foot. She made a sign with her finger that I should come near to her, but I was frightened and did not dare. I took my Rosary out of my pocket and tried to make the Sign of the Cross, but was unable to do so, for fear impeded me. Then the vision, taking the Rosary which she had between her hands, made the Sign of the Cross and I started to lose all my fright; I once again took my Rosary and made the Sign of the Cross; from this movement I was completely at peace (tranquille). After having said the Rosary, she disappeared. I then crossed the stream, following after my friends, and asked them if they had seen anything? They said no, and asked 'You, did you see something?' I answered that 'if you have seen nothing, neither have I,' for I feared that I had been a victim of delusion. However, as we were returning home, they asked me again what I had seen. Seeing that they continued to return to this subject, I decided to tell them. Then they told me that I and they should never come back to this place, for fear lest someone wished us harm."

In another account, she states that she told them she intended to return the next Sunday because she felt an "interior prompting to do so." She told her mother of the event, and only with great difficulty obtained her permission to return. Continuing her story in her own words:"The second time was a Sunday. I returned (with several children) to see whether or not I had been misled. Arriving at the Grotto, I went down on my knees and began to say the Rosary. After I had said a decade, I had the same vision. I had brought with me a small bottle of Holy Water, and as soon as I saw her, I began to throw Holy Water on her. The more I sprinkled her, the more she smiled as she gently inclined her head. She again signaled to me and seized with fear, I sprinkled the remainder of the Holy Water on her, and continued saying my Rosary; after I finished she again disappeared

.

"The third time was a Thursday. I returned with several important people. Arriving at the Grotto, I started, as usual, by saying the Rosary. Hardly had I said a few Ave Marias, when the vision returned. Having finished the Rosary, the vision asked me if I would have the goodness to return for 15 consecutive days, and to go tell the priests to build a chapel on the location. She then told me to drink and wash myself with water from a fountain. I did not see the fountain and she directed me towards the cave where she indicated a rock that I should lift up. Under this I found a small amount of water.. which I drank in obedience, even though it was stale.

"This Queen of Mercy also told me to pray for the conversion of sinners, and this she repeated several times. I asked her every day who she was, but only after the 15 days did she tell me that she was The Immaculate Conception. These were the last words that she said to me, though previously she had told me three other things."

Such then is the story told in its simplicity, a story the truth of which rings true in the very words used, in the subsequent life of Bernadette Soubirous, in the innumerable miracles which to this day continue to be granted at this location, and above all in the approval granted by the Church after exhaustive investigation. Those who take the trouble to re- read the story of La Salette or Fatima, will find once again this same simplicity and dignity. A far different story comes from the current apparitions we shall next consider

OUR LADY OF ALL PEOPLES

The following documentation has been taken from the French book, La Dame de tous les Peuples, by Raoul Auclair, published by Nouvelles Editions Latines, Paris, 1967. Though the absence of an Imprimatur is to be noted, one cannot place to much emphasis on this fact since post- Conciliar theological texts of a most dubious character often carry it.

The story given to the public is that a woman in Amsterdam- whose name has so far been kept secret on the theory that it is not the recipient of the message that counts, but the message itself- received a series of fifty-six apparitions of a personage purporting to be the Blessed Virgin Mary, dating from March 25, 1945 to May 31, 1959. (We shall refer to the apparition as the "lady"). Written records of these apparitions were collected by the woman's confessor, a Dominican. The "Message" has had an extraordinary circulation, especially in the form of a prayer, which was dictated by the apparition, and which has been translated into some twenty-nine languages given the Imprimatur, and distributed to some eight million people who have been urged to recite it daily in order to bring about world peace. There is also a picture of the lady who appeared. It was made according to her own specifications, which has been sent out far and wide.

Many quotations are attributed to this lady. As one reads the book certain characteristics become obvious - characteristics that prove these apparitions are quite other than heavenly. Her style of speech is verbose, vulgar (as distinguished from simple), banal, trivial, repetitive (although this by itself would not necessarily be a negative sign), undignified (for example, the pope is often referred to as a "fighter"), journalistic in tone, and punctuated by slogans such as "Peoples of Europe, unite!" In addition, her comments are often political, for example, "England, no, your policy is not good," and to America: "Do not push your policy too far!" "Watch out England!" "Turkey, are you watching out?" The phraseology is often punctuated by such words as "REALISM," or "A SPIRIT OF REALISM" (The transcript uses capital letters constantly). The use of pathos is frequent -that is to say, some dull and commonplace comment will follow a sublime statement, making it all seem trite. Finally, there are occasional snatches of Latin, used for no apparent reason, and often repeating what has just been said in the vernacular.

When one examines the lady's manner of behaving, one finds that she has no more dignity in her gestures than she does in her language. The Blessed Virgin may have simplicity in Her bearing, but never a lack of dignity. She is certainly never agitated. This lady, on the contrary, is continually moving about in an agitated manner, wagging her finger in warning, shaking her head from side to side, gesticulating, pointing at things, tracing out numbers, clenching her fist, and the like. On one occasion she even goes so far as to strike her fists together a number of times and instructs the visionary to imitate her. On another occasion, she pounds her fist on the table.

The visions themself are strangely mechanical and grotesque - everywhere there are non sequiturs. Scenes change with kaleidoscopic rapidity. All is chaos and the atmosphere is that of a nightmare. The same kind of jerkiness exists in the visions as in the lady's messages - odd and in - consequential juxtaposition of episodes that frequently leap from the sublime to the ridiculous. Various things float about through the air. ("Now all sorts of signs appear: little semicircles, hyphens, periods, then a letter like a J, finally other signs that appear separately.") The visionary sees maps of various countries. Arrows appear, as in a documentary film, to indicate where to look... " Then some words appear (evidently as a prophecy]: 'HUNGER' 'POLITICAL CHAOS''DEAD END'."

In this age of journalism and television, many people have become used to ugliness in style, and thus, are insensitive to the incongruities manifested in the Amsterdam visions. Yet, even the casual reader can note in all this an absence of what for lack of a better term one can call "spiritual perfume."

CONTENT OF THE “MESSAGE”

The earlier messages consist mainly of warnings, menaces, and mysterious signs of things to come, interspersed with exhortations such as the lady's words: "PRAYER and healthy ACTION. Not only pray. ACT, WATCH." Much emphasis is placed on action, work, and social concern. The lady says: "An intensive activity must develop - and be propagated among Catholics. Use propaganda; preach in the churches. Intensive action." To the Pope she says: "Insist more and more on social rights... not only words, but ACTS!" (The capitals are in the original). Certainly, the "progressive" Catholics of that era would find encouragement and justification for aggiornamento in such phraseology. But the lady goes even further in preparing her devotees for change.

In another place the visionary sees young priests passing by, marching in ranks. The lady says, "A more modern formation, better adapted to these times... Broader, more social views..." On another occasion the visionary sees the Pope holding an open book which he shows to those around him. The lady says: "many things must change." Elsewhere she says "The doctrine is correct. But the Pope has the authority to change the laws. Let him continue, then... My child, these laws can be changed. They can and must be changed. The distances must be bridged... Let Rome have recourse to modern means in order to win over the spirit of the world."

In 1950-the above examples predate this time - she states: "Announce that the Church has entered upon the good way," and again she asks the visionary to tell the Pope: ..make even more use of modern means. Put them into effect. For Rome the opportunity has come. Make use of it, then... A decree must be promulgated. It will no longer be necessary to be fasting in order to take communion... Listen carefully, my child. Already changes have come about. Others are under study... the DOCTRINE is good, but the LAWS can and must be changed."

In 1951 one finds a new strain added-or rather, repeated again and again. "These times are our times!" Everything is in terms of "These times" and "This world". Again, the visionary is to tell the Church, "Act promptly and make use of modern means." "To Rome I give a warning. To the Holy Father I say: You are the fighter, in these times. Get your subordinates to be broad and understanding in their enterprises and their judgments. It is only in this way that this world can be won over to the faith... I add: Be broad (in your views]. Seek to take your footing in this modern world, and do so in union with Jesus Crucified... the doctrine is and remains. The form and the laws, however, can be changed, with the intervention of the Holy Ghost. Tell this to your theologians... You bishops, can have the sacrifice offered in a more communitarian manner... Many things must be changed in the community, the Church; and they will change... Tell the Pope to propose reforms and to discuss them with those whom he will have chosen. Tell the Pope the time is coming. It is coming now... that he is the fighter, the Pioneer of the New Times."

The lady addresses not only the Pope, but the men of "our times." In the following citation she offers words of congratulation to clergy and religious: "And now I will speak to all priests and a religious: You (the priests] are all apostles; you [nuns] are all servants of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. The lady will reproach you for nothing. She knows very well that she is dealing with human beings." A far cry from La Salette!

Nor is the lady without awareness of racial prejudice. She instructs the faithful through the visionary: "You white people, recognize the rights of the Negroes." Imagine Our Lady addressing us as "You white people.

Now, we have given enough quotations to point out the "conciliar" nature of our apparition-softening up the faithful, as it were, for the changes to come, and most appropriately doing this in the Low Countries from whence so many innovations came at the Second Vatican Council.

Of equal interest in this regard is one of the visions in 1945: The visionary says "I see all sorts of people in the service of religion-students, priests, monks and nuns, etc., filing past in very close ranks. The lady shakes her head and slowly, emphasizing each word she pronounces: 'it is indeed sad to say, but that is worth nothing.' She looks straight before her. Her look is severe. Pointing out to me again all these students, these priests, these ecclesiastics, she adds - and her voice is extremely firm:” “a better formation. Adapt to these times, in a more UP-TO-date, social fashion.” And I see, above the church, a black dove hovering. I repeat: a dove, and BLACK! The lady points it out with her finger: “This is the old spirit. It must disappear.” And it does disappear, for at once the black Dove becomes a WHITE DOVE. “Behold the new Dove.”“

WHO IS THIS “LADY”?

Throughout the earlier visions the lady shows a curious reluctance to pronounce the Holy Name of Mary. At the first apparition, when she is asked; "Are you Mary,?" she smiles and replies: "They will call me the Lady, Mother." In the nineteenth apparition, the visionary suddenly had doubts and asks: "But are you really the Lady?" The lady looks at her smiling, and says: "Let your counselor believe you! He has sufficient proofs." Of the twenty-third apparition, the visionary says: "At this moment, remembering that I was ordered to ask the Lady who she is, I ask and say: 'What must I call you?' She replies: 'Tell them: THE LADY, simply.' And a few months later: "I wish to be called the LADY OF ALL PEOPLES."

In February of 1951, she finally uses the Name of Mary, but she frequently associates it with the Jewish form Miriam.: "I AM THE LADY, MARY, MOTHER OF ALL PEOPLES-You can say: The Lady of All Peoples or the Mother of ALL Peoples- WHO IN THE BEGINNING, WAS MARY." Then she gives the visionary her special prayer which was at the time being recited daily by thousands, perhaps even millions of Catholics - a prayer that appears innocuous enough except for one startling phrase:

“Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Father, Pour forth now Thy Spirit upon the earth. Make the Holy Spirit to dwell in the hearts of all peoples, so that they shall be preserved from corruption, from calamities, from war. May the Lady of All Peoples, WHO WAS ONCE Mary, Be our Advocate. "

“Who was once Mary!” And from that time onwards, the lady continually insisted an the propagation of this prayer. Apparently, the theologians found the idea that the Blessed Virgin used to be Mary a trifle unsettling, and in consequence tried to modify the prayer. This led the lady to protest to the visionary: "Tell the theologians I am not satisfied with the changes they have made in the prayer. 'Mary the Lady of ALL Peoples, who was once Mary, be our Advocate.' That must remain as it is." As the visionary explains elsewhere, The lady says, "She was, once, Mary, the Handmaid of the Lord. Now she wants to be the Lady of All Peoples. "

THE LADY SLIPS

It is interesting to note that the lady says, "They call me Miriam or Mary. Now I want to be the Lady of All Peoples." And: "Because the world aspires to unity in all that concerns the affairs of this world, the Lord and Master wishes to bring Spiritual Unity to the peoples of the world. That is why he sends Miriam-or Mary-and He sends her as the Lady of All Peoples." It is as if the apparition could not bear to give the Holy Name of Mary its just due, but must at every turn minimize its dignity and centrality.

It is of even greater interest that, in the second and third visions, God is called by the Hebrew name "Yahweh." It is almost inconceivable that the Blessed Virgin would use the name "Yahweh" - first, because Catholics never referred to God that title, and second, the Blessed Virgin was born a Jew. The Jews never pronounced aloud the name of Yahweh out of reverence and holy fear.

Two months after the revelation of the Prayer, the lady announced that she wanted a new dogma promulgated. "The new dogma will be the dogma of the Co-Redemptress. I insist on the CO." She wishes to be proclaimed officially "Co-Redemptress, Mediatrix and Advocate." Again and again she asks that the Pope promulgate this new dogma and publicly recite the Prayer. In itself, the request presents no problem, but considering that Rome was at that time considering the proclamation of the Dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, it is quite possible that the stressing of another aspect, legitimate in itself, was an attempt to present the definition of the Assumption.

Apart from the jumble of visions purporting to relate to future events, visions that can be interpreted more or less according to one's personal fancy, there were two or three cases where the lady made specific predictions.

The lady confided a secret to the visionary which was to be revealed to no one till after the event: in February of 1958, the lady tells her that Pope Pius XII will die at the beginning of the following October. Since the visionary told no one till after the event occurred, one has no way of verifying such a prophecy. Even if we assume it was true, one may well wonder why Heaven should take the trouble to confide such information to her in secrecy. The death of Pope Pius XIl was in the normal course of things: at his age it could be expected at any time.

At the end of the above prophecy, the lady says: “Do not be afraid, my child: his [Pope Pius XII’s] successor will promulgate the dogma for Co-Redemptress, Mediatrix and Advocate” Here is a specific prophecy which history has proven false.

MARKS OF DIABOLICAL ORIGIN

Last, but not least, there are occasional passages in the text that clearly carry the signature of Satan. For example, the visionary, (one might better use the term medium) is frequently assailed by violent pains or a sensation of extreme fatigue-sufferings which have been defended by partisans of the lady as being those of a sacrificial victim participating in the sufferings of Christ for the salvation of mankind. But what are we to think when the lady grasps the visionary's hand and squeezes it until it hurts unbearably, for long periods of time? The visionary writes: "And my hand is hurting badly! I cannot bear the pain of it. But the lady smiles and leads me further... And I only wish that the lady would let go of my hand! She holds me so hard!" Are we supposed to believe that the person who acts in this manner is the Blessed Virgin?,

In May of 1949 the visionary is shown a great door through which she must pass. She writes: "I shrink to have to cross this threshold. Suddenly, the lady! She says: 'take this step.' Once inside, I can discern a vast circular space. 'This is the black spot,' says the lady. 'You must enter into it profoundly-There is the depth and obscurity of time.' And I see the lady, seated, dressed in mourning, her head covered by a white veil. Her features are withered; her face is wrinkled; she is slumped, bent forward. She speaks and says: 'We are here in darkness. It is the CORRUPTION of mankind.' ... Big tears stream down her face, in the furrows of the wrinkles." here the lady identifies herself with the corruption in fallen man. The Immaculate Virgin Mary, who was conceived without stain of sin, was justly preserved all her life, (and even after death) from all bodily corruption. We are supposed to believe that here she, the now eternally young and celestially beautiful Mother of God could take on the appearance of a wrinkled old woman and identify herself with the corruption of sinful mankind!

Even more remarkable is an episode in which the lady shows the visionary a map of Turkey. "And here is what I must do, according to the lady's command: my two hands, like paws with claws, placed solidly on the map. My arms: as if they were paws. The lady says: 'Represent that. Be like a beast, its claws on Europe, ready to spring.' The Beast looks to the right, to the left. Very slowly the paws let go." Here the lady turns her chosen instrument into a Beast. Her hands become paws with claws! How is it that people can- not see in this a manifestation of the hideous and infernal?

In April of 1954 the visionary is given to witness this: "The lady stretches forth her right hand and gives it to me to contemplate. And here is what I see: I see, in her hand, a very large pair of dice. Now, shaking the hand holding the dice, she passes over the globe [of the world]. She says: 'The hand of Satan holding a die passes over the whole world.' " Here the lady announces her identity so clearly that no one should fail to see it. Can any serious person imagine that Our Lady would ever imitate the gesture of Satan, or speak such words to describe the gesture she had just made? In one of the last visions - that of May 1957, a triumphal cry escapes the lady's lips.- "How real and great is the power of Satan!”

CONCLUSION

Such then are the salient characteristics of the Amsterdam apparitions. The disquieting features are wrapped in a padding of conventional statements that serve to disguise them-it is only our juxtaposition of the pertinent passages that makes them startling. They are poison for the un- wary. Certainly, some of the lady's statements are true-she is obliged to mix truth with falsehood, for if she did not, no one would be fooled into accepting her as authentic. But the truths she speaks of are seen as in a crazy mirror, with the proportions falsified and distorted.

Once again, we note well the "conciliar" character of these revelations since they pre-dated Vatican If by some years. While traditional Catholics would reject this apparition with ease, one wonders show many liberal and progressive Catholics-both among the laity and the clergy - were in fact taken in. Certainly, this lady must have been pleased with all or most that occurred in the Church during and after the Council.

It is of interest to follow the Church's attitude towards this apparition. According to Father Lawrence S. Brey (Signs and Wonders, published by World Trends in Australia), "they were either condemned or declared to be non-authentic." But later, his authority notes that "the Dutch Bishops reportedly reversed themselves," and, around 1971 they "declared the apparitions genuine."

Whereas in true apparitions - of the Blessed Virgin, Mary reveals herself in consonance with the Beauty and Mercy of God, the Amsterdam apparitions emit an aura of agitation, alarm, triviality, and downright ugli- ness. Even if modern man has become so hardened by the un- loveliness of our "modernized" civilization as not to be struck by the lack of beauty and serenity of the Amsterdam visions, there yet remains one infallible touchstone which any properly instructed believer should be able to apply: Although the Devil can upon occasion say something intelligent or true to serve his own devious ends, the Blessed Virgin Mary can never say anything that is stupid or false.

PART TWO

MAMA ROSA AND THE HEAVENLY MAMA

It has been said that while the Devil possesses the power to imitate a true miracle, and has the ability to preach lofty doctrine when it suits his evil purposes, he is incapable of producing both doctrine and miracles on the same high level at the same time.

Beginning in October 1964, Mama Rosa Quattrini claimed she received visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary at least once a week, and while the author only has data up to March of 1969, similar apparitions continued until her death, and are said to still continue for the sake of her followers.

The apparitions at San Damiano began with an impressive .”miracle." According to well- documented reports, a pear-tree heavy with autumn fruit, suddenly flowered and remained in bloom for seventeen days. If this prodigy were indeed from Heaven, than the message it served to introduce must needs be in no way inferior to it in beauty and spiritual significance.

But the message of San Damiano is disappointing in both form and content. It subsitutes quantity for quality-yet in such an apparently pious and "traditional" manner that many Christians of good will are led to believing in it. This is what is singularly distressing about this apparition - at a time when the Church is passing through the greatest crisis in her long and venerable history, fervent Catholics who suffer agonies over the changing of Church laws and the destruction of the liturgy, are tempted to seek refuge in the shallow comforts offered by the apparitions at San Damiano.

San Damiano is not, like the Amsterdam apparitions, obviously modernist in intention, nor is it flagrantly vulgar or ugly. it is more subtle, disguising its non-heavenly character under a flood of pietism. That the message of San Damiano is aimed at traditional Catholics is evident, not only from its supposed adherence to standard Church doctrine and practice, but above all, from the personages represented in Mama Rosa's visions: the Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Michael, Pope Pius XII, Padre Pio, Angels, assorted Prophets and Martyrs. If some find the presence of Paul VI a discordant note, one must remember that for a long time traditional Catholics placed a great deal of faith in him, and the apparition would have no function unless it was to assure the traditional Catholic that he had an obligation to go along with the post- Conciliar Church out of "obedience." What better technique than to mix in Paul VI with those of unimpeachable orthodoxy?

What strikes one most about the style of the visions is their sentimentality and verbosity. It has been argued that the Blessed Virgin Mary has, as it were, come down to the level of our times in order to save us. It is for this reason-so it is said- that her "message" is couched in terms so sentimental and platitudinous in order to appeal to the simple. But this atmosphere of "familiarity" has not been characteristic of any of the previous approved Marian apparitions, whose messages have nonetheless reached the simple and uneducated - and this without Heaven stooping to such undignified means. In the true Marian apparitions there may be simplicity, but not at the expense of intelligence.

Beyond this, the message of San Damiano reflects a typically Italian love of the baroque, the florid and the dramatic in its stvle - it's a bit like an Italian opera. All is offered on a superficial level. There is nothing offered in the way of nourishment for the intelligent or contemplative Christian.

In any message claiming to come from the Blessed Virgin, there must be somewhere in it a transcendent element, the purpose of which is to lift souls above themselves, to give them something truly celestial. But at San Damiano, it is always a repetition of the same banalities and platitudes, poured forth with the same cheap declamatory effusiveness. The attitude of awe in the presence of the sacred is entirely lacking-all is

CELESTIAL SCREENPLAY

Most of the citations given below are taken from the scrupulously accurate French book Presence de la tr6s Sainte Vierge 6 San Domiano, by J. Gabriel (Nouvelles Editions Latines, Paris, 1968); the remaining few citations are from the mimeographed leaflets published by the Friends of San Damiano, Fribourg, Switzerland.

It is worth noting that the original messages are in literary Italian, but contain certain faults of grammar and syntax, as if Our Lady was not able to speak the language gracefully and properly. When repeating a word that she is not sure of, Mama Rosa may give a wrong vowel to a syllable. Such mistakes were never made by true visionaries, uneducated as they may have been, such as St.. Bernadette. Many, like Catherine Emerich, have spoken flawless Latin,-a language they did not know-when in an ecstatic state and especially when quoting a heavenly source. it is therefore somewhat surprising to find heaven having unusual difficulty in getting its message across. In June of 1967, for example, we find the “Blessed Virgin” voicing her dismay in these contradictory terms:

“You ;do not listen to my maternal words! You do not listen! You transmit them erroneously! There are so many who betray me! But I pardon you all! So many souls listen to my words, then announce them and spread them all garbled! You transmit them erroneously!”

Again, we note the "forgiving" attitude of the vision, that is to say, forgiving without any demand for correction.

We find the visions full of pathos and other excesses, such as the tendency to multiply descriptions of insignificant de- tails and directions for photo- graphers. For example, Mama Rosa tells us "the Archangel Michael asks that when you see the sun so dazzling, you take photographs. Then you will understand." Imagine the Arch- angel giving directions for a .'photo opportunity" like some politician's press secretary.!

This sort of detail abounds at San Damiano. At the third glorious mystery (the crowd is reciting the rosary), Mama Rosa gives the explanation:

The Mother from Heaven says why St. Michael said you must take photographs: because, when we began the Rosary, in a ray of the sun that appeared, there was the Eternal Father and he had in His hands a big sphere with flags of all the nations. He calls them all to prayer and penitence. And the Holy Ghost, in the form of a Dove, came onto the pear-tree and took a leaf. You see, there where the Rosary is, there was the leaf. The Dove pulled at the rosary, took the leaf and carried it and put it on the Eternal Father’s globe.

The fourth time there was another bishop or a pope, I don't know, I did not recognize him; he carried the Blessed Sacrament in a great light, surrounded by all the angels.

“The second time when the sun shone strong there was Jesus with the lamb. Jesus was seated. He had the lamb and carried it on his shoulders, which means that he wants all souls, even those who are most astray.”

“The third time there was the Pope Pascelli who raised very high a chalice (and held one hand above the chalice) that a great troop of angels adored.”

“The fourth time there was there was another bishop or pope, I don’t know, I did not recognize him; he carried the Blessed Sacrament in a great light, surrounded by all the angels.”

“The fifth time there was Jesus with all the apostles...”

This sort of celestial screen- play continues till Mama Rosa explains: "All that-if you have photographed the sun when it was so dazzling-the Mother from Heaven says that the Eternal Father wished to give these signs." (January 19, 1968).

And so, at San Damiano, we are asked to believe that heaven will condescend to speak, not only of modern mechanical gadgets such as cameras, but indeed, wishes that its signs be made manifest through them - and not directly. Such is hardly in keeping with the timeless dignity of the sacred. Yet, the "Blessed Virgin" repeats this bizarre request again and again: "I repeat to you so many times, you must, you must, you must take photographs in my presence." (March 31, 1967); "The Heavenly Mama asks: 'Have you Photographed?... (,May 21, 1967); and again, the ''Blessed Virgin'' insists: "Photograph. Photograph the sky. Photograph the Sun.” (No date).

Some of these photographs have been published (Miraculous Lady of the Roses at San Domiano, Italy), and are of a dubious character. One for example, shows a dead tree behind the "miraculous" well with a chalice turned upside down on it or so the caption informs us. The photo, said to be from the Madonna, could as well be from Satan himself.

We have mentioned the melodramatic quality of much of the material. For example, "Mama Rosa announces that there is now an Angel with a card in his hands that announces: 'sons of the whole world, in the name of the Heavenly Mama, prepare yourselves..." (Dec, 22, 1967) Perhaps the angel was too embarrassed to use the over familiar title "Heavenly Mama." .

At times the material sounds like a diary. For example, the "Blessed Virgin" says:

“This morning I pleaded with the Eternal Father so much to have pity on His children; I pleaded with Him so much, with all the host of angels and saints. Me gathered round Him and asked for pity and mercy." (August 15, 1967); "Pray, and be insistent with the Eternal Father. He is present here with us." (October 16, 1967); "This morning, between six and seven o'clock, my children, I went to Purgatory with St. Michael. I freed many souls." (July 15, 1967); "Look, my sons, those white vapors up there in the sky, that make a circle like this (Rosa makes a gesture ,with her hand). They are all the souls whom I freed from Purgatory yesterday and this morning. These souls are all coming to pray around this well." (July 16, 1967 - with a photograph of some cloud formations as proof.)

SOME THEOLOGICAL ERRORS

Sometimes she slips up on her theology as she states "I weep, I weep so much! so much! (So many exclamation points!!!) on the Way to Calvary to see my Son die on the Cross to save humanity. And nobody listens to me, not even the righteous." Not even the righteous?

Or take the passage when "Jesus" says: "the warning has already begun. You must understand that it is the beginning of terrible trials of anguish and tears, for the Eternal Father no longer listens to Me, nor to My Heavenly Mother." (June 9, 1967). Are we to believe that the First Person of the Blessed Trinity no longer listens to the Second, or that Our Lord has somehow been suspended from his office of Eternal Mediator?

Another example of theological error is found in the following passage: "My Son died on the Cross. If He came again on this earth, they would do worse to Him, yes, really." (June 9, 1967). The problem here is that, since the Passion and Crucifixion of Christ were at once symbolically and really the synthesis of all possible suffering - a suffering of infinite degree - it is obviously impossible that another form of torture and death could be "worse."

Be assured, dear reader, that the "Lady" has not just made a slip of the tongue. For again on August 12, she informs us that "My heart is so afflicted, my sons, by the grave sins that are committed on the beaches, above all, by so many sins of impurity that make me weep tears of blood. And my Son Jesus is rent with anguish, more so then when was on the Cross." Again, note the admixture of truth and error coming from the mouth of this "Lady." It is certainly true that the sins of impurity that occur on beaches offend God. But it is absurd to say that Christ in Heaven is suffering greater anguish because of this (to say nothing of the anguish the NOM causes Him) than He suffered during His Passion on earth.

Mama Rosa says in another place: "Now, the Heavenly Mother says: 'Quick!' She is leaving and going to other visionaries, all over the world; yes, in Russia also." (August 15, 1965). What a graceless passage from a woman supposedly kneeling in the presence of Our Lady. Imagine the Queen of Heaven saying "quick" as she rushes to visit her other visionaries - no bilocation here.

PLASTIC BARRELS

Perhaps the most incongruous scene is the following, in which "St. Michael,, urges all pilgrims to come and take home quantities of water - described upon another occasion as "the holiest in the world"-from the “miraculous well." Mama Rosa says:

The Heavenly Mother is present with St. Michael, the Archangel. St. Michael the Archangel speaks in the name of the Eternal Father: 'I announce that everyone must prepare big plastic barrels, to come and take much water, and prepare little basins. When the terrible moment of discouragement comes-because they have not listened to my words-there will be so many ugly things-put this water in little basins, and put your face in it and you will be safe!'

That the Eternal Father Himself should, through the intermediary of St. Michael, make such an announcement is already an extraordinary thing - that He should specify that the barrels be made of plastic is utterly beyond belief. And one cannot but suspect that the earnest pilgrims are being slyly made fun of when they are told in case of danger to put their faces in little basins of water.

BLESSING THE NEW MASS

We have mentioned -before that it is a characteristic of the post-Conciliar apparitions to give full approval to all the changes. Of course, they will criticize the "abuses," and even certain members of the hierarchy, but never the Conciliar or post-Conciliar documents.

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Thus we find among Mama Rosa's apparitions an occasional guest appearance by Paul VI, ,Who, though still living at the time, seems to have been canoriized in advance. The "Blessed Virgin" says: "Pope Paul, my favorite, who loves Me so much, and whom I love so much!" (May 13, 1967) In another passage we read that on September 1, 1967, "Jesus" kisses Paul VI on the forehead. And presumably unbeknown to his real self in Rome, the "Pope of San Damiano" gives his blessing to the crowd of pilgrims and, on at least one occasion, even accords them a plenary indulgence without the usual conditions specified. As Mama Rosa tells us, "The Holy Father sends his blessing in the name of the Mother from Heaven, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost! 'He sends you the blessing with a plenary indulgence', says the Heavenly Mama."

And so the stage is well set. We have the faithful saying the Rosary; we have innumerable examples of Pius XII, St. Michael and other angels witnessing to the truth of the apparitions. We see thousands of faithful making pilgrimages to San Damiano. And we are told in an apparition in August 1967:

“The Holy Father presents a big book to the Heavenly Mama. This book is the New Missal. The Heavenly Mama blesses the book, and smiles at the Holy Father and she says that priests must celebrate Holy Mass with great piety."

Thus we have heaven itself coming down to bless the New Mass

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The message of San Damiano has another theme worth noting-one that gives it, in the eyes of its devotees, a superiority over all previous Marian appearances: it is that the "Blessed Virgin Mary" has now come down to earth, and is, as it were, literally and centrally present at San Damiano, where she will continue to manifest her presence till the end of the world. It is here that the Heavenly Mama says: "Remember, my sons, that I want a Great Sanctuary here, with fifteen altars, the fifteen Mysteries of the Rosary," and "Jesus" says, "This place will become the center of My Heavenly Mama for the whole world." (And here we see, not only Mama Rosa, not only popes and angels, but Jesus Himself, addressing this apparition "My Heavenly Mama.")

I n accord with the magnitude of such an unprecedented event, "Heaven" exhorts the pilgrims to notify the entire world that all must recognize the authenticity of San Damiano, and come there to the feet of the "Heavenly Mama" -and this without delay!

“Mama Rosa tells us that the Archangel Michael is present and that he has announced that in the direction of the sun there was the Holy Trinity and a holy Martyr with a great banner, part purple and part white, with a red inscription on it and these words: 'Penitence, prayer, sacrifice, Eucharist. Pray, pray, pray, speak out!' The Archangel Michael: 'If you speak out, they will understand that your Mama is on earth in the midst of you...”(December 22, 1967).

REVISING THE ASSUMPTION

And for her part, the "Heavenly Mama" announces the theologically impossible, a reversal of the Assumption: "I have left my son Jesus in heaven to come down to earth in order to save you... " (Dec. 22, 1967); "Up there in the sky, on this day, December 8, I had such joy and gladness! But I came down to you, to save you all!..." (Dec. 8, 1966). "I have left my Son up there in heaven where I enjoyed eternal felicity, to come down to save you!..." (Dec. 15, 1967). "For years and years I have been on this earth, more on earth than in heaven, and you do not listen to me." (July 7, 1967).

And even "Jesus" plaintively adds, "it has been for such a long time that My Divine Mother has been on earth. It is fifty years, truly on earth, that she has been traveling through the streets, the houses, that she has been making meetings for prayers, because she wants to save all her sons." (Dec. 2, 1968).

In another place, the Heavenly Mama's orders become even more bizarre:

“Speak! Speak out without human respect - that I come here into your presence. For all must know it. Write my children, speak! Announce my Coming! (Nov. 17, 1967) “March, speak, act, write! - Make me triumph throughout the whole world! (Many times)

I count on your fidelity, on your aid to make me known and to attest to my presence on earth - in terra - I repeat. I am in the midst of you ... Be united with all the people who have listened to my call, from whatever city, from whatever country they may be. Be united, my children. Form a united front for my defense. It is already the hour to work towards this end. It is the hour to remain united, strong, determined to make me known and to affirm my presence in the midst of you. To this end, work, march, write, spread my word. It is the hour when the bishops are taking notice of me, recognizing that I am amongst you, on earth-in terra-Do not fear, because I will always be with you, in whatever place you march for my cause ... Pray, act suffer all in order to make known my presence on earth amongst you. Begin, inform the bishops who are about to meet in Rome of my desire, of my will. You must act, there is no longer any time to lose. Set to work. That is the task of all those who have heard my messages. Courage, faith, and get to work under my protection... It is up to you to get the visionaries and my apparitions recognized and thus to make me triumph on earth. Insist on this to your bishops. And this without delay." (Sept. 6, 1967).

Here we have Our Lady, a woman who spoke but seven times in all of Scripture, giving a prolix tirade.

Accompanying the insistence on the real presence of the Blessed Virgin at San Damiano is an undertone of menace, concerning not only world catastrophes to come, but also more particularly the fate of those who do not believe in the apparitions. The "Heavenly Mama," after telling us of the "coming of the Universal King," and the "great Light" which only the devotees of San Damiano will be able to bear, warns us:

Be ready, ready, my sons. The hour has struck!" ...The hour has struck! The hour has struck! The Eternal Father will temporize no longer ..... .. When that hour comes when they will put into your hands the palm of martyrdom, how will it be with you? if you have not come here to take strength, courage, faith to withstand struggles, tribulations, the cross, persecution, war, earth- quakes, plagues, famine, if you have not strength, resistance, what will become of you?"

UNAVOIDABLE CONCLUSIONS

In view of the unique claims of San Damiano, one would expect to find there a message, both original and profound. Instead, we are offered nothing but the superficial banalities and platitudes, with no element of that "divine perfume" which characterized the true Marian apparitions.

At San Damiano all is publicity, propaganda, congratulations and flattery, with blessings and pardon lavished indiscriminately upon all-upon believers and non-believers, virtuous souls and unrepentant sinners alike. The Blessed Virgin, in fact, does not bestow her favor quite so easily, for the Divine Mercy never lowers itself to the absurd at the expense of sacred dignity.

In the "messages" of San Damiano there is nothing directly spiritual, but only the vaguely psychic. In those few passages which are least offensive, the content never seems to go beyond what we would expect to find already present in the soul of a confused Catholic who has only a rudimentary understanding of the truths of the Catholic faith. If a person can believe in a piety which exhibits neither sanctity nor intelligence, he can believe in San Damiano.

Mention should also be made of several other curious points. For example, there are frequent references to contemporary youth, in which "Heaven" reflects the all-too- prevalent modern attitude of excusing young people from their sins on the grounds that they need to be "understood" and spoken to with gentleness."

Again, among the titles given to Mary at San Damiano we find: "Mama of the Universe," "Queen of the Dead," and "Spouse of the Eternal Father", titles which are odd, to say the least. As well, the normal relationship between Jesus and Mary is frequently inverted: His role at. San Darniano often seems to be that of promoting devotion to His Mother, whereas at legitimate apparitions it was Our Lady who promised devotion to her Son.

The shallowness of the message itself is artfully camouflaged by an aura of the supernatural. signs and wonders seem to abound at San Damiano: the healing of the sick, conversions, reading of consciences by Mama Rosa, flowering of red roses on white rosebushes, photographic phenomena, signs in the heavens.

Of these last, the most striking is the alleged turning of the sun. On many occasions, pilgrims, individually or collectively, claim to have seen a repetition of the Miracle of Fatima. In fact the entire affair from start to finish at San Damiano seems to be a shoddy imitation of Fatima. The extravagant repetition at San Damiano of certain outward features of the genuine and great miracle can only do a disservice to Fatima by taking away from its uniqueness and grandeur. Thus, one can doubt whether the phenomena at San Damiano are caused by heavenly means.

At the beginning of this study, the question was raised as to how such apparitions that en- courage devotion to the Rosary, to the Blessed Virgin, to St. Michael, the Guardian Angels and the Eucharist, could be of diabolic origin. Indeed, one may well ask in the presence of so many reported conversions and reawakenings of piety, what interest the Devil could possibly have in producing such effects on souls.

In my opinion, it seems that the foregoing effects are a small price to pay for getting the traditional Catholics to accept and recognize the legitimacy of the post-Conciliar Church. Such places as San Damiano are pious outlets provided for all those conservative Catholics who are horrified at what some post-Conciliar organizations like to call “abuses."

Beyond this, the souls converted by such phenomena are henceforth indissolubly linked to San Damiano-that is to say, San Damiano henceforth becomes the cornerstone of their religion. When once a man has regained some aspects of his faith thanks to the phenomena of San Damiano, he returns there, hungry for more. Such being the case, it would hardly be difficult for the Devil, when the time is ripe to lead a great number of these souls into still more grievous errors. Those who argue that it is never harmful to induce individuals to say the Rosary should consider that, just as it is taught that evil allowed by God can only be a temporary part of a greater good, and that this evil is "dissolved" in the final and decisive good, so also, the Devil believes that the inverse is true. The good permitted by Satan in his devious policy is only the temporary part of a greater evil. This good is eventually integrated and dissolved in an evil which the Devil in his rage falsely pretends will be final and decisive.

PART THREE

VERONICA AND THE ‘LOURDES’ OF AMERICA

Our previous articles about the alleged apparitions at Amsterdam and San Damiano revealed a set of characteristics which seemed to be common to both. When we examine the events at Bayside, New York, we see clearly that the same pattern developed at the place that its advocates call "The Lourdes of America."

On the day that the American Presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy was shot in California, Veronica Lueken, the' 54-year-old mother of five children, responded to a radio appeal for prayers and, it is said, experienced the perfume of roses in her car while she was driving her husband to work. A short time later, St. Theresa is supposed to have appeared to Veronica and her 10-year-old son Raymond, at their home. Raymond himself died tragically 5 years later.

After the "vision" of St. Theresa, other "visions" began to occur: "One of the earliest ones, was a vision outdoors in New York, and in the sky, of a hugh cross, which dissolved itself into the thorn-crowned head o