Today we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, commemorating the rising of Mary's body and soul into Heaven. Mary is the patron saint of all of humanity, and is revered by Catholics as the only person besides Jesus to be born free of original sin. As we celebrate this feast, let us look back upon significant times in more recent history when Mary has appeared to us.

1531- Our Lady of Guadalupe

In this apparition, the Virgin Mary appeared four times to Juan Diego, a Mexican peasant, and once to his sick uncle. She requested, in his native language, that he tell the archbishop to erect a church to be built in her honor. She continued to appear and insisted that Juan Diego continue to ask the archbishop after he did not accept her request. When Juan Diego's uncle fell sick, she appeared separately to the both of them to assure them of the uncle's health, and when Juan Diego returned to the archbishop with non-native flowers that Mary had given him, her image appeared on his cloak, convincing the archbishop of her presence. The basilica that was then built has become the most visited Catholic pilgrimage in the world. Juan Diego was the first American indigenous saint.

1858 - Our Lady of Lourdes

The Virgin Mary appeared a number of times to a young peasant girl, Bernadette Soubirous, who was doubtful at first but whose confidence grew as she visited the apparition several times. On the third visit, Mary asked her to dig a hole in the ground and drink from a spring there, which was considered very off-putting by many. However, the spring became clearer and clearer, and the water from it was sent to many sick people and was able to heal them. The spring also became a location for Catholic pilgrimages soon after. Bernadette Soubirous was canonized as a saint in 1933.

1917 - Our Lady of Fatima

Three Portuguese children were the witnesses of this apparition. They saw the Angel of Peace three times before they were visited by the Virgin Mary. She asked the children to pray the rosary every day in order to "bring peace to the world and an end to the war." She asked this of the children on several occasions - there were reportedly six apparitions in total. On the date of her final apparition, the Miracle of the Sun occurred, in which many onlookers described the "sun dancing" as it came out from behind clouds that had brought heavy rain. This miracle made the site a common pilgrimage destination for many Catholics, and every year on the anniversary of the Miracle, as many as a million worshippers gather and light candles at the site.

These are only three of many Marian apparitions in the past several centuries; however, their stories accurately epitomize the patronage of Mary. She appeared to the poor, to people of all ages and cultures, and spoke in their native languages. She is the patron of all humanity because she can speak to and care for everyone, no matter who they are or where they are from.

Unfortunately, due to ongoing construction we are not able to celebrate Mass tonight at St. Josaphat.   We hope that you can attend Mass at one of our neighboring churches: