Pillar II · Private revelation
Marian Apparitions the Church Has Examined
Mary has come to her children many times, often with a call to prayer, penance and conversion. Here each apparition is shown with the judgment the Church actually gave, so you can see how much weight it carries.
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Where private revelation stands
Public revelation ended with the apostles. Apparitions and messages, even those the Church approves, belong to private revelation. “It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history” (Catechism 67). A Catholic is free to accept an approved apparition with prudent devotion, and is never bound to believe it as part of the faith.
How the Church judges today
On May 17, 2024 the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith published new Norms for Proceeding in the Discernment of Alleged Supernatural Phenomena, in force from May 19, 2024. As a rule the Church no longer declares that an apparition is supernatural. She gives one of six judgments:
| Judgment | What it means |
|---|---|
| Nihil obstat | No objection. Signs of the Holy Spirit's action are present; the bishop may encourage the devotion, and the faithful may adhere to it prudently. |
| Prae oculis habeatur | Positive signs, but some elements need clarification and discernment; caution is asked. |
| Curatur | Critical elements are present, but the devotion is widespread and bearing fruit; it is not encouraged, nor forbidden, and is watched over. |
| Sub mandato | Problems arise less from the phenomenon than from people or groups misusing it; the Holy See entrusts its pastoral care to the bishop or a delegate. |
| Prohibetur et obstruatur | Serious risks outweigh any good; the bishop declares that adherence is not permitted. |
| Declaratio de non supernaturalitate | The bishop, with the Dicastery's approval, declares the phenomenon not supernatural, on concrete evidence. |
Older apparitions were recognized under earlier procedures, usually by the local bishop declaring them worthy of belief. Those recognitions stand, and each page here gives the date and authority.
The apparitions
Each page will give the story, the Church's judgment with its source, the messages in reliable translation, what they ask of us, and their echoes of Scripture and Revelation.
| Apparition | Recognition | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Guadalupe, Mexico (1531) | Long recognized; St. Juan Diego canonized in 2002 | Planned |
| Rue du Bac, Paris (1830) | The Miraculous Medal; St. Catherine Labouré canonized in 1947 | Planned |
| La Salette, France (1846) | Recognized by the Bishop of Grenoble, 1851 | First |
| Lourdes, France (1858) | Recognized by the Bishop of Tarbes, 1862 | Planned |
| Fatima, Portugal (1917) | Recognized by the Bishop of Leiria, 1930 | Read |
| Akita, Japan (1973) | Recognized by the Bishop of Niigata, 1984 | First |
| Kibeho, Rwanda (1981) | Recognized by the Bishop of Gikongoro, 2001 | Planned |
More will be added, including apparitions judged under the 2024 norms. An apparition appears here only if the Church has given a positive judgment; any others mentioned elsewhere on the site are clearly labeled with their actual status.