According to norms of the Catholic Church which have been in effect since the Council of Trent in the 16th century,[2] the initial responsibility of evaluating the merits of any purported apparition falls to the bishop of the area in which the events allegedly occurred.
On May 18, 2024, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith's Prefect, Víctor Manuel Fernández, published a 2024 religious text signed by Pope Francis which replaced the 1978 Normae Congregationis rulings.
It sets new norms and guidelines for Catholic bishops in discerning claims of private revelation such as Marian apparitions.
Even in cases in which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith cooperates with an investigation that yields a positive result, the consequent approval derives its authority from the local bishop, not from the Holy See.
[6][7] Because approval by the Holy See can therefore only be claimed based on informal indicators of endorsement, lists of "Vatican-approved Marian apparitions" vary widely depending on the criteria used.
On August 21, 1879, a group of 15 men, women, and children, ranging in age from 5 to 75, reported seeing an apparition behind their church, against the back wall, of an altar with a lamb on it (understood to represent Jesus), surrounded by a multitude of angels.
[24] Below is a list of additional apparitions which have been approved by the local ordinary (i.e. the bishop assigned to the area in which the events allegedly occurred).
Lunadoro, bishop of Nocera de' Pagani, tells us that "thanks to the help of the devout people, who give large alms, a much more capable church is begun" to be built in the place where the hens had found the table, and Msgr.
Stefano de Vicari, in his pastoral visit made in 1615, speaks of a 'newly built church' (Latin: ecclesia noviter erecta), namely the Shrine of Our Lady of the Hens.
Benedetto dei Monti Sanfelice, published a decree with which the chapter of Saint Peter in the Vatican decided to solemnly crown the 'Madonna delle Galline' in gratitude for the protection of Mary to the population.
Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, ... the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful.
In 1956, the bishop of Haarlem "found no evidence of the supernatural nature of the apparitions",[note 3] a judgment which the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) confirmed in 1974.
[111] Nevertheless, two decades later, the CDF gave Bishop Bomers permission to authorize public veneration of the title, image, and prayer associated with the apparition, which he did in 1996.
The Holy Virgin appeared in her full height in luminous robes, above the middle dome of the church, in pure white dress and a royal blue belt.
In response to their ardent supplications, in the desolate forest, an aristocratic granny (Muthiyamma) with a child carrying a cross in his hands appeared to the children.
The children narrated the whole incident, the apparition of Muthiyamma, and how she satiated their hunger and thirst to their parents the moment they reached home, with wonder and amazement.
Unable to believe their ears and considering the whole episode unusual and unnatural, the elders accompanied by the children soon set out to the forest.
When they arrived at the spot the children had indicated, they were petrified upon perceiving a spring over brimming with crystal clear water in an otherwise drought stricken area.
Blessed Virgin Mary, carrying infant Jesus, appeared once again and directed them to build a Church in her name at that very spot.
Antonia writes: An affluent and respected non-Christian youth who lived near the Church, having a thorough knowledge about Christian faith, used to frequently visit the Church, chant Christian prayers and even teach them to others but was never prepared to receive baptism because of the existing law that had had the power to confiscate the property and wealth of any convert.
In response to his fervent prayers, a person in the guise of a priest along with an extremely beautiful lady appeared before him and chastised him for his reluctance to receive baptism.
George, in his work, Kuravilangad Marth Mariam Church and the St. Thomas Christians, quotes from manuscripts of Fr.Vichensa De Maria about another apparition of Muthiyamma.
Mar Francis Rose’s report of 1604, on the Churches in Malabar, still kept in the British Library, narrates yet about another vision of Muthiyamma at Kuravilangad.