Through the centuries and across the world, the Virgin Mary has appeared to ordinary people of every race and culture, from scholars to illiterates, from the devout to the unbelieving, from young children to the dying. In this exquisite and inspiring volume, Janice T. Connell chronicles authenticated Marian apparitions and messages Mary has brought from God--as mother, comforter, Queen of Angels, and Prophet of the Apocalypse. Drawn from scripture, legend, and never-before-published eyewitness accounts, these are personal stories--the author's own, and her interviews with other visionaries--filled with beauty, wonder, and joy. Meetings with Mary ranges from Elijah's vision of Mary eight hundred years before her birth to the world-famous children of Medjugorje in Bosnia, whose encounters with her began in 1981 and continue daily. Here also are lesser-known, deeply touching encounters with the Mother, from an office worker in Holland to a Japanese nun, from a Jewish banker in Rome to an awestruck crowd of visionaries, few of them Christians or of any other faith, in Egypt. Meetings with Mary asks also: as the millennium draws near, shadowed by disasters, disease, and brutal civil warfare, are Mary's frequent appearances a signal to the faithful? Perhaps she is calling us all to join her now on a voyage toward the eternal shores of peace, joy, and abiding love. . . . "[Connell is] passionate about prayer and sharing her love of Jesus' mother. . . . She has a way of simplifying complex theology." --Rocky Mountain News

For almost the entire history of the Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been returning to the world she left nearly two millennia ago. In this revised and expanded fourth edition, Those Who Saw Her shares the latest developments, updates, and Church teachings on the apparitions of Mary. This book details the most famous approved apparitions at Guadalupe, Rue de Bac, La Salette, Lourdes, Pontmain, Knock, and Fatima, as well as the fascinating but lesser-known appearances at Akita, Japan; Kibeho, Rwanda; San Nicolas, Argentina; Betania, Venezuela; and Champion, Wisconsin. Let Mary's prophetic messages bring comfort and hope to your life in this thorough and compelling presentation of the extraordinary visits of the Blessed Mother to her children around the world.

A Pocket Guide to the Rosary helps Catholics deepen their prayer life and improve their ability to pray what St. Padre Pio called the weapon of our times. The Rosary. Drawing from the writings of the saints, the Bible, and Catholic tradition, Matt Fradd has produced a book that every Catholic should read. Its small size makes it easy to carry to adoration, keep around for family Rosary night, or hand out at your parish. Catholics who find it difficult to enter into the mysteries of the Rosary, or who need some encouragement and inspiration to pray this essential Catholic prayer, will deeply appreciate this small but powerful book. In this essential book, Matt Fradd explains: ● How to truly meditate on the mysteries on the Rosary. ● Major saints methods to pray the Rosary. Carefully chosen biblical passages to reflect on for each mystery. Here's how it works: 1. Overview of each mystery, with biblical quotes to help you establish context and focus your mind 2. Insight on each mystery from the writings of the saints and Church Fathers 3. Personal applications for each mystery, so you can further apply these mysteries to your own life and invite God to be a part of it

"...A treasure for those who seek to find Mary's presence, both in these astonishing appearances and in their daily lives." -- James Martin, author of My Life with the Saints For almost the lifespan of the Church, the Blessed Virgin Mary has been returning to the world she left almost twenty centuries ago. In its attractively redesigned and updated second edition, Those Who Saw Her brings readers the latest developments, updates, and Church statements on the apparitions of Mary -- the most famous apparitions at Guadalupe, Rue de Bac, La Salette, Lourdes, Pontmain, Knock, and Fatima, as well as the fascinating but less-known appearances at Akita, Japan; Kibeho, Rwanda; San Nicolas, Argentina; and Betania, Venezuela. The book also now includes a complete chapter on the 17th-century appearance of Mary to the young Benoite Rencurel at Laus, France. The Laus apparitions, approved in 2008, were the first Marian apparitions approved by the Church in the 21st century. Let Mary's prophetic messages bring comfort and hope to your life in this thorough and compelling presentation of the extraordinary visits of the Mother of God to her children around the world.

Time and again, God has sent Mary to earth to warn us about punishments to come. Here, the author details the history and prophecies surrounding Mary's major appearances, including: o Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mexico 1531 o Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal: Paris, France 1830 o Our Lady of Lourdes: France 1858 o Our Lady of the Rosary: F�tima, Portugal 1917 o The Queen of Peace: Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina 1981-present. Many of Mary's messages foretold what are now elements of our past: the world wars, the rise of communism, the suffering of Pope John Paul II. They also foresee what is still to come: the chastisement, the Antichrist, and the Second Coming. To prepare for these events, Mary suggests praying, heeding her warnings, and following her advice-"Let your only instruments always be love. By love turn everything into good which Satan desires to destroy and possess."

Accessible, heartwarming and miraculous stories of people, famous and ordinary, and their remarkable encounters with the Virgin Mary.

The Great apparitions -- starting with Guadeloupe in 1531 -- occur with a steady and increasing drumbeat across the decades and centuries. The places and the principals involved change, but the messages calling people to turn from lives of violence and sin and to seek repentance are remarkably similar. By focusing on the most widely known and documented appearances and presenting them in chronological order, the events and the messages emerge in a powerful way. Swann shows how advances in science have placed the apparitions in a more intriguing light. One of the historic challenges concerning them was how could something which was not there be there in a way that registered on the eye mechanisms. The discovery of holography, where images that appear to be three-dimensional having bulk, shape and mass, images that can even be photographed, has provided an analogy that enlarges our perception of the physical laws and challenges the skeptics' verdict of hallucination. Catholic or not, religious or not, believer or not, this fascinating and compelling account of the appearances of Mary challenges readers to reflect on the messages and their possible consequences for our civilization and for our future.

Advocations and Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary is an exhaustive study focusing on early and recent apparitions of the Virgin Mary from different historical, religious, and social perspectives, including personal experience. The history of an apparition in the author's family over two hundred years ago is the primary motivation for this book. It was documented with a photograph. The purpose of this book is to provide readers with an in-depth knowledge about the apparitions and invocations of the Virgin Mary in different places around the world, with the hope to expand one's love of and devotion to Jesus' mother. In times of great social upheaval and moral and ethical decay, it is important to highlight the important symbols of faith and hope, renew beliefs, and consolidate positive Christian values. Consequently, a book of this nature gives believers and non-believers alike an instrument to promote new faith and belief, as well as to stimulate a curiosity in these traditions and assist in constructing new spiritual referents to prevent the collapse of such a problematical, valueless society that, without reflexion, will face even more harm in the near future. This text, then, which is written in simple yet agile language, can become a tool of reflexion for just about anybody, despite their creed or social condition.