A QUEEN’Sy/ORK
Pamphlet





DID

MARY
APPEAR?

By Winfrid Herbst, S. D. S.

THE QUEEN’S WORK

3115 South Grand Boulevard

St. Louis 18, Missouri

1953



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Provincial

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Fr. Innocentius Swoboda, 0. F. M.

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:

P Joseph E. Ritter

Archiepiscopus Sancti Ludovici

Sancti Ludovici
,
die 30 Decembris 1952

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Central Office of the Sodality of Our

Lady will be used for the advance-

ment of the Sodality Movement and

the cause of Catholic Action .

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DID MARY APPEAR?
By Winfrid Herbst, S. D. S.

Of late years there have been various

accounts of apparitions of Our Lady to

certain persons. What attitude should one

take toward such visions, apparitions, pri-

vate revelations? I mean when the Church

has not yet spoken in the matter.

When you read or hear of a private reve-

lation and are wondering what you should

think about it, you may let yourself be

guided by considerations like the following.

1. The principal thing, of course, is

to ascertain whether the fact, event, or

communication is strictly true.

2. Certainly it is not proper for a good

Catholic at once and without more ado to

conclude without examination that the reve-

lation is to be rejected.

3. One proof that the revelation is true

is the working of a miracle, if it is wrought

for that purpose and is properly authenti-

cated.

4. Another proof is a prophecy realized.

A prophecy is as convincing as a miracle,
if it is so precise that it cannot be the re-

sult of chance or a conjecture of the devil.

5. The sensible thing to do is to get in-

formation about the person thus favored.

What are his natural qualities? educa-

tion? virtues, especially humility? special

graces of union with God? Were there

other revelations? other predictions? Is

3



the person subjected to heavy trials and

crosses (a good sign) ? Does he fear de-

ception (a good sign) ? Is he open with his

confessor (a good sign) ? Does he desire

revelations (a bad sign) ?

6. After you have gotten detailed infor-

mation about the person or persons (man,

woman, or child), also make it a point to

get detailed information about the revela-

tion itself. Is it authentic? Does it agree

with the teachings of the Church? Is

there anything in it contrary to good mor-

als? Does the whole seem to be helpful

toward salvation? Is there about it an

atmosphere of such dignity and seriousness

as to become divine majesty? Is it pro-

ductive of sentiments of peace and not dis-

turbance—except perhaps at the first mo-
ments? How about the value of the good

work proposed? Has it been subjected to

the test of time? Has it been productive

of great spiritual fruit? Here it is well

to stress the warning that if the phenomena

and statements run counter to faith, to

sound piety, to approved Catholic customs,

or if they are unbecoming or ludicrous, they

are undeserving of belief because they abso-

lutely exclude supernatural revelation.

7. If the revelation leads solely to the

love of God and of the saints, one may

provisionally regard it as divine.

8. Many theologians are of the opinion

that those to whom or for whom private

revelations are made may believe in them

with real faith, provided they have had

clear proof of their authenticity. Some are

4



stricter than that, inasmuch as they say

that the person to whom the revelation is

made by God may and even must believe

it with divine faith, if he is convinced that

it is a divine revelation. When he is cer-

tain of it, utterly convinced of it, he is

obliged to believe the same; if he does not,

he commits a sin of infidelity by disregard-

ing the authority of God.

9. When a private revelation has not

been officially approved of by the Church

and when by all the rules of sound pru-

dence it is evident that the revelation is

genuine, the prudent course is neither to

believe nor to deny it unless there is suf-

ficient reason for doing so. One should not

despise it; and it may be admitted accord-

ing to the rules of prudence.

10. The Church recognizes that God can,

if He wills, allow or command apparitions

or visions, and that He can make the seer

know for certain that the vision is real. If

He does so, it is right for the seer to be-

lieve in the vision or revelation, as we have

already stated; and it is also right for

others to believe it if the evidence is con-

vincing to them.

11. However, others may believe it only

with human faith. And they are under no

obligation to believe at all, either because

the private revelation does not pertain to

them, or because they can hardly ever have

certitude about it, not even when the

Church officially approves it; for ecclesi-

astical approbation only declares that there

is nothing in the revelation contrary to

5



faith and morals and that consequently it

may be popularized for the edification of

the faithful.

12. But no matter how many may be-

lieve such a revelation or vision, even if the

whole Church does so, as in the case of

the apparitions of Lourdes, it remains true

that such is not a part of the revelation

God gave His Church when He made it,

and consequently these private revelations

never become a part of the Catholic faith.

13. However, we repeat that one who

without sufficient reason denies a private

revelation acts rashly and imprudently,

both because private revelations often ex-

hibit most profound and useful truths and

also because they may be the word of God.

But though such a doubter, when every-

thing points to a true revelation according

to the above rules, acts rashly, foolishly,

imprudently, he does not commit a mortal

sin.

14. Still, even if you can say that there

is evidence of a divine revelation, not every-

thing in it is to be accepted as equally

supernatural, because every private reve-

lation is more or less dependent on the sub-

jective views and the individuality of the

person receiving it; and it is easy for pure-

ly human opinions and even errors to be-

come mixed with a genuine communication

from above.

15. You may be rightly suspicious and

charitably critical, and suspect of fraud

those persons whose behavior does not con-

form to the strict requirements of Chris-

6



tian morality, who are physically or men-

tally abnormal, who are obviously eager to

create a sensation, who are extremely sen-

sitive to criticism or doubts expressed by

others regarding their good faith, who

proudly raise themselves above and criti-

cize others, or who even attempt to reform

the Church itself.

16. Private revelations may not be pub-

lished without ecclesiastical approbation,

according to the Decrees of Urban VIII,

March 13, 1625, and of Clement IX, May

23, 1668.

* * *

But every time there is a private reve-

lation of some kind, you find articles about

it in Catholic papers; and often printed

sheets and folders that go into detail about

the various apparitions are circulated; and

all that without ecclesiastical approbation,

as far as I can see. What is to be said

about that?

Canon 1399 of Church law, in its enumer-

ation of books forbidden by law, says that

by the law itself are forbidden (5) books

and pamphlets which give an account

of new apparitions, revelations, visions,
prophecies, or miracles, or which introduce

new devotions (even if it is claimed that

the devotions are private), unless the pre-

cepts of the Canons regarding their publi-

cation have been observed. Since this para-

graph of the Canon specifically mentions

books and booklets, it seems that books are

to be taken here in the narrow sense, as

not including, for example, periodicals,

7



printed sheets, small folders, which are

neither books nor booklets. (See A. Coro-

nata, II, n. 1963.) This seems to be all

that need be said about that. Moreover,

such printed accounts as you have in mind

generally add what we might call a line

of special caution, to the effect that what

is printed is merely news, that no opinion

is expressed as to its authenticity, that it

is published without any intention of an-

ticipating the judgment of the Church, etc.

Look for the Bishop’s imprimatur if the

account of new apparitions, revelations,

visions, prophecies, miracles appears in the

form of a book, booklet, or pamphlet. If

it is missing, the book or booklet or pam-

phlet is forbidden by the law itself.

We may add that for the publication of
books in which are narrated the deeds,

miracles, revelations, and other extraordi-

nary gifts of Servants of God, in addition

to the permission of the legitimate eccle-

siastical superior, it is required by a Con-

stitution of Pope Urban VIII and by pre-

scriptions of the Holy Office that a twofold

protestation be inserted, something like the

following : “In complete conformity with the

decrees of Urban VIII we hereby declare

that everything said in this book regarding

the miraculous and such like manifesta-

tions is submitted without reserve to the

judgment of Holy Church. The expressions

'holy’ or 'blessed,’ in so far as they are

applied to persons on whose virtues the

Church has not yet pronounced, are not in

any way intended to anticipate the judg-

8



ment of the Holy Apostolic See.” (Cf.

Wernz-Vidal, IV, 2, p. 168.) Many think

that this prescription has been abrogated.

For those who wish to study the matter

further, the sources cited in Wernz-Vidal

may be consulted.

Just for the sake of repetition, we trans-

late the following from the place cited

above: “As regards writings which treat

of miracles, revelations, apparitions, etc.,

it seems to be required that they treat

exclusively of those things or at least in

a diffuse way and lay the matter before

the reader as something supernatural in

character; it is otherwise if the matter is

proposed just in passing or merely as news,

in the same way as is done regarding other

facts that occur
;
nor does it seem that

diaries are to be forbidden which narrate

facts that seem to be miraculous, which,

for instance, are said to have occurred in

some pious pilgrimage, etc.”

* * *

But why all this fuss about publishing

accounts of apparitions, visions, revelations,

miracles? What is the reason for this strict

view of the matter?

The answer is very simple. The making

known far and wide of apparitions, visions,

revelations, miracles, etc., in the publica-

tion of which there is today a certain un-

restricted foolishness (effrenata quaedam

vesania, which Latin expression can also

be rendered as “a peculiar unbridled in-

sanity”) — such publication, we say, plays
right into the hands of the enemies of the

9



Catholic religion by offering them an occa-

sion of ridiculing it and despising even the

most solidly established truths of faith.

And this they do even if in practice, as

experience amply demonstrates, non-Cath-

olics are more credulous and more super-

stitious and more easily taken in than are

prudent and sensible Catholics.

And if it is also a case of a new devo-

tion that is introduced, there is always

danger that solid piety will suffer rather

than be promoted and that people will be

so captivated by novelties that they will

despise and neglect those devotions that

are recommended or commanded by the

Church. Such things also lead to the intro-

duction of false mysticism. (Cf. Wernz-

Vidal.)

* * *

All right, then; that takes care of private

revelations when the Church has not yet

spoken in the matter. What is to be said

about them when they are approved by

the Church?

When private revelations are approved

by the Church, you may let yourself be

guided by considerations like the following.

1. There is nothing in them contrary

to faith and good morals.

2. They may be read without danger

and even with great spiritual profit.

3. But no obligation is thereby imposed

upon the faithful to believe them. “It is

not obligatory, nor even possible, to give

them the assent of Catholic faith,” says

10



Benedict XIV, “but only of human faith,

in conformity with the dictates of prudence,

which presents them to us as probable and

worthy of pious belief.”

4. To refuse assent to private revela-

tions even when approved is not generally

an offense against divine faith (any re-

vealed truth because of the authority of

God Himself), except perhaps in the case

of those to whom they are given.

5. To dissent from such revelations is

not a sin against Catholic faith (revealed

truth proposed as such by the Church),

unless in rejecting them one would also

reject defined dogma.

6. To dissent from such revelations is

not a sin against ecclesiastical faith (in-

ternal assent to truths connected with reve-

lation, to facts closely related to dogma),

unless other errors are also involved.

7. The Church does permit but does not

exact in these approved revelations that

belief which is called the assent of human

faith, a faith which rests upon the author-

ity of man.

8. One would be at fault, however, if

through pride or contempt or without suf-

ficient reason one were to reject such ap-

proved revelations.

9. So, too, to reject apparitions like the

appearance of Our Lady at Lourdes, for

which the Church has instituted feasts,

could easily make one guilty of contempt

or temerity, even though the Church offers

11



such particular facts of history for human

faith alone.

10. The approbation of private revela-

tions in connection with a person’s beati-

fication or canonization is merely negative,

signifying that nothing contrary to faith

or morals is contained in those revelations

but that the Church decrees nothing about

their divine origin.

11. When, however, the Church positive-

ly approves of certain revelations, inas-

much as ecclesiastical authority explicitly

or implicitly decrees that a revelation has

really been made by God to a definite person

(e.g., as in the case of St. Francis of

Assisi, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, St.

Bernadette of Lourdes), they should be

given the assent of obedient children. We
should give an interior, religious assent.

12. Such positively approved revelations,

though supported by ecclesiastical author-

ity, are nevertheless not infallibly certain;

wherefore they merit only human faith,

and it is allowed to doubt them or even to

deny them, provided there seems to be

sufficient reason for the denial. But pru-

dence often forbids us to set our opinion

against the great authority of ecclesiastical

approbation, and always forbids when it is

the authority of the Pope, aided as he is by

the counsel of eminent theologians.

13. To repeat, when private revelations

are approved by the Church, they are not

proposed as to be believed by divine faith.

The Church merely declares:

12



(1) that they contain nothing contrary

to faith and morals;

(2) that there are sufficient indications

that prudently, piously, and without

superstition they may be believed

with human faith;

(3) that it is not right to despise them .

* * *

I cannot understand why some Catholics

are so slow to believe in private revelations,

apparitions, extraordinary and mystical

phenomena. They are so incredulous, such

doubting Thomases. Can you explain? And,

please, I was just reading about a bleeding

crucifix. How can a statue or the figure

on the cross bleed?

Perhaps the following excerpts will help

you to understand—and make you incredu-
lous yourself, within proper bounds.

“The opinion of St. Thomas [Aquinas],

which is generally held, is that after His

Ascension, Our Lord rarely appeared in

Person; He merely appeared in a visible

form, but not in His real body. His ap-

paritions in the Eucharist may be explained

in two ways, says St. Thomas; either by a

miraculous impression made on the sense of

sight (which is the case when He manifests

Himself to a single person) or by a form

that is real and visible, but distinct from

His own body; for, the Saint adds, the

Body of Our Saviour cannot be seen in its

own proper form except in the one place

which actually contains it. — What has
been said of Our Lord applies also to the

Blessed Virgin. When she appeared at

13



Lourdes, for instance, her body remained

in heaven, and at the spot of the apparition

there was but a sensible form which repre-

sented her. This explains how she could

appear now under one aspect, now under

another. — The same conclusion is de-
duced from the testimony of St. Teresa,

Relation XIII, where she says: ‘By some

things which He told me, I understood that

after He ascended into heaven He never

descended on earth to converse with anyone,

except in the Holy Sacrament/

“There are some persons who, through

pride or through the desire for recognition,

voluntarily simulate ecstasies and visions.

A notable instance was that of Magdalen
of the Cross, a Franciscan Nun of Cordova,

of the XVI Century, who after having

given herself to the devil from her infancy,

entered the convent at the age of seventeen

and was three times elected Abbess of her

monastery. Aided by the demon, she simu-

lated all the mystical phenomena of ec-

stasy, levitation, stigmata, revelations and

prophecies repeatedly fulfilled. Thinking

herself at the point of death, she made a

confession which she later retracted, was

exorcised and moved to another convent of

her order.

“In the life of St. Catherine of Bologna

it is related that the devil sometimes ap-

peared to her in the form of the crucified

Christ and demanded of her, under the ap-

pearance of perfection, the most impossible

things, in order to drive her to despair/’

(Tanquerey, The Spiritual Life.)

14



Though one should always be respectful

and reverent and not too quick to ridicule,

nevertheless one cannot be too prudent in

matters such as those mentioned in your

question.

We do not know how it is possible for a

statue to bleed, if such a thing really

happens. Perhaps we might say that it is

not impossible for a statue to sweat or

shed tears or to bleed because wood and

stone often when mouldering collect mois-

ture within them and it may exude with

various colors taken from the air. We
might hazard the remark that it is not im-

possible that statues should make sounds

like moaning, because of the tearing asun-

der of the particles of which they are

composed. But, by the way, we cannot im-

agine how a statue can talk: it seems al-

together impossible that articulate human

speech should come from inanimate things,

the organs of speech being conspicuously

missing. Must we not suppose that if one

hears a statue speak, his imagination is

influenced by some sensation which appears

to resemble a real one, just as in dreams,

for instance? But we do not know. Any-

how, how much do you know about elec-

tricity? about the radio? about television?

Maybe -you can explain these things in

words; but when it comes right down to

their essence . . .
*

However, when certain phenomena can-

not be expained naturally, one may say that
they are at least possibly or even probably

miraculous; and when the Church officially

15



declares a certain thing to be miraculous,

one must say it is certainly so.

* * *

How do you explain the extraordinary

mystical phenomena of which we read in

the lives of the saints or of saintly persons?

I mean particularly levitation, luminous

rays, fragrant odors, prolonged fasting,

and stigmatization.

In levitation the body is raised above

the ground and sustained in midair without

any natural support; thus, St. Joseph

Cupertino, seeing how some workmen were

trying to get a heavy mission cross in

place, flew up into the air and without

effort put the cross in the place prepared

for it. Akin to this phenomenon is extra-

ordinary immobility; thus, we read of a

saint who could not be moved from the spot

where she was by any means whatsoever.

Luminous rays means that there is a halo

around the head of the saint or a glow

enveloping the whole body. This sometimes

accompanies ecstasy.

Fragrant odors means that sometimes

God permits the bodies of the saints during

their lifetime or after their death to give

forth a fragrant odor, a symbol, so to

speak, of the virtues they practiced; thus,

the stigmata of St. Francis of Assisi occa-

sionally emitted a sweet perfume. And

there are many similar facts.

Prolonged fasting means that some have

lived many years without taking any other

food than Holy Communion; thus, Blessed

Angela of Foligno, twelve years; St. Cath-

16



erine of Siena, about eight years; Blessed

Elizabeth of Rente, over fifteen years; St.

Ledwina, twenty-eight years
;
Blessed Cath-

erine Racconigi, ten years; Rosa Andriani,

twenty-eight years; Louis Lateau, fourteen

years; Theresa Neumann, over twenty

years. Akin to this is going without sleep

;

thus, St. Peter of Alcantara slept but one

hour and a half a night for forty years.

Stigmatization means that there is a

kind of impression of the Saviour’s wounds

made upon the feet, hands, side, and brow.

These wounds spontaneously appear of

themselves, without any exterior hurt, and

periodically there is a flow of fresh blood.

The first person to bear the stigmata was

St. Francis of Assisi, who received them

on September 17, 1222, and retained them

until his death. Since then there have been

at least 320 such cases, 40 of them men,

and 62 of these persons have been canon-

ized.

If these extraordinary phenomena are

well authenticated, they can hardly be ex-

plained on natural grounds.

Some of these phenomena, however, are

not beyond the power of angels or of

demons.

Some of them are a sort of anticipation

of a prerogative of glorified bodies.

Each case must first of all be thorough-

ly verified so as to eliminate any chance

of fraud. (Cf. Tanquerey, The Spiritual

Life.)

* * *

17



Some people, and you among them, are

pretty hard on private revelations of all

kinds. Pretty soon you’ll be questioning

the promises connected with the nine first

Fridays, the five first Saturdays, maybe

even the Fatima peace promises. Isn’t

there danger of its coming to pass that

people won’t believe in anything?

Of course, one should not be too skepti-

cal either. Quite fitting here are these

words of Blessed Pope Pius X: “The most

Holy Congregation of Rites declared thirty

years ago (May 2, 1877) : ‘Such apparitions

or revelations have neither been approved

nor condemned by the Apostolic See, but

are only permitted as objects of pious belief

on merely human faith, according to the

tradition which they bear, which is also

confirmed by suitable records and testi-

monies.’ Whoever holds to this principle

will be relieved of all fear. For the reli-

gious character of any apparition, accord-

ing as it regards the fact itself, is called

relative, and is always implicitly condi-

tioned on the truth of the fact; but ac-

cording as it is absolute, it is always based

on truth, for its object is the persons of

the Saints who are honored. A parallel
affirmation may be made concerning relics.”

(Encyclical Pascendi.)

“In all these matters, however, it be-

hooves Christians to observe the greatest

caution, since the traditions received in

the Church may not lightly be rejected

without condemnable temerity. A prudent
religious assent should be given to them;

18



but if grave reasons to the contrary arise,

they should be humbly submitted to ecclesi-

astical authority, to which it alone pertains

to judge of the opportuneness of altera-

tions or corrections” (Herve, Manuale Th.

Dog., I, p. 517).

It seems to us that people will not believe

in anything if they are permitted to be-

lieve in everything. When there are so

many visions and apparitions and revela-

tions everywhere, and when people gather

in crowds at places where visions and won-

ders are supposed to have taken place, true

miracles are in danger of being discredited,

the Church and the sacraments and preach-

ing and instruction are neglected or aban-

doned, and only too often the Pope, the

bishops, and the priests are spoken of

critically because they refuse to take part

or share in the enthusiasms of the mob.

Nay, more, there are even acts of deplor-

able disobedience to ecclesiastical authori-

ties when they intervene and issue prohi-

bitions.

To quote some pertinent passages from

the article “True Christianity, Signs and

Wonders” by Msgr. Alfred Ottaviani, As-

sessor of the Holy Office, which appeared

in Osservatore Romano, February 4, 1951

(NCWC News Service translation, main-
ly) :

“As in the case of other feelings, there

can be, and in point of fact there are, also

deviations from true religious feeling. Re-

ligious sentiment must be guided by reason,

nourished by grace, and as is our whole

19



life, controlled by the Church, and even

more strictly. There are such things as

religious instruction, religious education

and religious training. Those who have

fought the authority of the Church and

religious sentiment in so light-headed a way

find themselves today faced with imposing

outbursts of an instinctive religious feel-

ing entirely deficient in the light of reason

and the consciousness of grace, one that has

no check or control. . . .

“There is no doubt that the Church does

not wish to cast into the shadow the won-

ders which God works. It merely wants

to keep the faithful watchful concerning

what comes from God and what does not

come from God, and which can come from

His and our adversary. The Church is

the enemy of the false miracle.

“A good Catholic knows from his cate-

chism that the true religion rests on the

true Faith, on Revelation, which ended with

the death of the last Apostle and has been

entrusted to the Church, its interpreter and

custodian. Nothing else necessary to our

salvation can be revealed to us. There is

nothing more for which we must look. We
have everything, if we wish to make use

of it. Even the most accredited vision can

furnish us with new motives for fervor but

not with new elements of life or doctrine.

True religion abides essentially, apart from

in the conscience, in the love of God and

the consequent love of our neighbor. And

more than in acts of worship and rite, the

love of God consists in doing the will of

20



God, obeying His commandments. This is

true religion.

“A good Catholic knows that in the saints

themselves the nature of sanctity consists

not in the preternatural gifts of visions,

prophecies and wonders, but in heroic ex-

ercise of virtue. . . . We must not confound

holiness with what can be and is, as a rule,

an unmistakable sign of holiness, but not

always sufficiently clear so as not to need

the necessary supervision of religious au-

thorities. On this point the teaching of the

Church has never been equivocal. The man

who turns back to events of dubious in-

terpretation rather than accept the word

of God, loves the world more than God. . . .

“We repeat that in order to be religious,

it is necessary to be so in a proper fashion

and as a matter of duty. In order to be

good Catholics and devout people we must

act with all the attention with which we

act when applying ourselves to the most

serious things in life. Incredulity is just

as harmful to the sincere believer as credu-

lity. True, it is not everyone who can form

his own opinion on every point. But what

are the bishops and the Pope for?

“It is a strange thing : no untrained

person would dare to build a house by him-

self, tailor his own clothes, make himself

a pair of shoes or cure himself of a sick-

ness. Yet when it is a question of religious

life, people reject all authority, refuse to

place any trust in it, even distrust and

disobey it with impunity. . . .

“During the undeniable return to God we

21



are now witnessing, the faithful must over-

come their bias and return once more to

sharing their feelings, their thoughts and

their faith with the priest. . . . For the

last ten years, while religious authorities

have remained hesitant, the people have

acted hastily and busied themselves with

wonders which, to say the least, have not

been verified. . . . Speaking honestly, we

must admit that such events may be expres-

sions of natural religious enthusiasm (reli-

giosity) . But they are not Christian events,

and they give a dangerous pretext to those

who are out to discover at all costs the

infiltrations and survivals of paganism and

superstition in Christianity, especially

Catholicism. . . .

“Let Catholics hear the word of God

which the Church, and the Church alone,

preserves and repeats whole and incorrupt.

Let them not run like sheep without a

shepherd after other voices seeking to

drown the voice of God if in truth they

are opposed to the voice of the Church. We
have Holy Scripture, we have Tradition, we

have the Chief Shepherd and a hundred

other shepherds next door to our homes.

Why should we offer the spectacle of fool-
ishness or unhealthy exaltation to those

who oppose and despise us?”

Sensible people are not questioning the

promises of the nine first Fridays, the five

first Saturdays, or the Fatima peace prom-

ises (which last, however, are not quite

clear to us). But to quote Msgr. Ottaviani

again, they do deplore the acts of diso-

22



bedience in Italy in connection with “the

so-called visions of Voltago, in France over

the Espis and Bouxieres incidents which

were allied to those in Hampsur-Sambre

(Belgium), in Germany at Heroldsbach,

and in the United States of America over

the manifestations at Necedah, Wisconsin,”

to exclude other examples from other

countries near and far.

* * *

Let us by all means be obedient children

of Holy Mother Church. Let us think with

the Church. One of the rules St. Ignatius

lays down in his Spiritual Exercises for

thinking with the Church is as follows:

“To arrive at the truth in all things, we

ought always to be ready to believe that

what seems to us white is black, if the

hierarchical Church so defines it; believ-

ing that between Christ our Lord the Bride-

groom and the Church His Bride there is

one and the same Spirit, who governs and

directs us for the salvation of our souls,

because our Holy Mother the Church is

ruled and governed by the same Spirit and

our Lord Who gave the Ten Command-

ments.”

But it is not matters of Faith strictly

so called but the practical decisions of the

Church in moral and disciplinary matters

that will often make heavy demands on the

obedience and loyalty of the ordinary

Catholic.

The conduct of a true Catholic is laid

down clearly by St. Ignatius : “Laying aside

all private judgment, we ought to hold our

23



mind prepared and prompt to obey in all

things the true Spouse of Christ our Lord

which is our Holy Mother, the hierarchical

Church.” It is the only possible conduct

for one who believes in Christ and in the

Church instituted by Him. “He who hears

you, hears me; and he who rejects you,

rejects me (Luke 10:16).

The commands of the Church are, then,

to be accepted and obeyed as if they were

the commands of Christ Himself, whatever

our views and feelings on the matter may

be. In moral and disciplinary matters we

are not asked to forswear these views and

feelings, to call white what seems to us

black.

We are not, properly speaking, in the
realm of Faith where man’s reason sees

nothing, but in that of discipline, of tempo-

ral, social, and educational matters, where

reason often plays a very important part,

and where different opinions may be held,

and the decisions of the Church may, pos-

sibly, not appear as the very best. We are
simply asked to lay aside all private judg-

ment of our own and accept the ruling of

the Church in the spirit of obedience and

of loyalty. Our obedience and submission

must be full of confidence and of trust.

The authority to which we submit and by

which we allow ourselves to be led is the

authority of the true Spouse of Christ our

Lord and our Holy Mother, the hierarchical

Church. It is the authority of the Vicar

of Christ, of the sweet Christ on earth
,
as

St. Catherine of Siena used to call Him.

24



It is the authority of our Bishop, who in

the words of St. Ignatius of Antioch, holds

the place of God and is the shepherd

whom all must obey, and without whom

nothing can be done.

Nor, to be true Catholics, is it enough

to obey the Church when she commands

under penalty of sin. We must feel with

her in every matter of some moment, de-

fend all that she stands for, and constantly

side with our ecclesiastical superiors and

leaders. That is why St. Ignatius adds:

“To praise all the precepts of the Church,

keeping our minds ready to seek reasons

for defending her, and in no way im-

pugning her.”

Readiness of mind to defend every

measure of the ecclesiastical authority, and

horror of any semblance of opposition to

it, is the hallmark of true Catholicity.

(Ambruzzi, The Spiritual Exercises.)

* * *

Now I am wondering about Fatima.

Wonder no longer. “Devotion to Our

Lady of the Rosary of Fatima has been in-

dulgenced and approved by papal authority.

Temples in her honor are rising in many

parts of the Christian world. The great

national pilgrimages which take place at

Fatima on the thirteenth of every month

from May to October, and the almost mi-

raculous growth of the Rosary and Im-

maculate Heart Crusade now sweeping the

United States, will hasten the triumph of

Mary’s Immaculate Heart, after the present

25



tribulation of the nations, and sanctify

the country.”

You do not have to believe the reve-

lations of Fatima. They are private reve-

lations. However many may believe and be

convinced of private apparitions and reve-

lations, even if the whole Church should

do so, as in the case of the apparitions

of Lourdes, the fact remains that this is

not a part of the teaching God gave His

Church when He founded it. These pri-

vate revelations never become a part of

the Catholic faith; and the Church, being

the guardian and organ of public revela-

tion only, never imposes upon us the

obligation of believing private revelations.

But she has the right of passing judgment

upon them lest the faithful believe error

and be deceived. When private revelations

are approved by the Church, such appro-

bation merely signifies that they may be

published, as in the case of Fatima, for

the instruction of the faithful, as being of

a kind that may be piously believed ac-

cording to the rules of prudence and the

authority and testimonies upon which they

rest. They are not an object of Catholic

faith.

In practice, however, even many of the

saints and doctors of the Church have be-

lieved in such visions and revelations. St.

Gregory the Great, for instance, uses them

to confirm the Church’s teachings that

prayers and Masses help the suffering

souls.

26



Hence, it is quite all right to believe

all of what Our Lady of Fatima said. In-

deed, it would be well for all of us to be-

come more and more Fatima-conscious and

to do what Our Lady urges us to do. “I

am the Lady of the Rosary,” she said, “and

I have come to warn the faithful to amend

their lives and ask pardon for their sins.

They must not continue to offend Our Lord

who has been so deeply offended. They

must say the Rosary. — Pray, pray much,
and make sacrifices for sinners. Many

souls go to hell because there are none to

make sacrifices and pray for them.”

You will be in good company indeed if

you acclaim to the highest heavens Our

Lady of Fatima. You will be in the com-

pany of Popes, bishops, priests, religious,

laity. Here are a few extracts taken from

the radio address delivered by His Holiness

Pope Pius XII at the close of the silver

jubilee of Fatima, October 31, 1942 (the

address was published in the Acta Aposto-

licae Sedis

,

official organ of the Holy See,

in November 1942) :

“More than once in this year of graces,

you have gone in devout pilgrimage to the

holy mount of Fatima, bearing with you the

hearts of all believing Portugal, to lay

at the feet of your Virgin Patroness, in

the oasis breathing forth the perfume of

faith and piety, the filial tribute of your

perfect love. . . . We . . . unite Ourselves
with you with all affection of Our heart,

to praise and thank the Lord ... to thank

Him especially for the graces of her by

27



whose hands the divine munificence pours

forth on you these torrents of grace. . . .

Already in 1934 Our predecessor Pius XI

of immortal memory (in the Apostolic Let-

ter Ex officiosis litteris) bore witness to

the extraordinary benefit with which the

Virgin Mother of God had favored your

country. . . . That you have shown your-

selves grateful during this year We know
well. Most pleasing to heaven must have

been the official acts of homage; more mov-

ing still the sacrifices of little children, the

sincere penance and prayer of the humble

. . . . Gratitude for the past is a pledge

of confidence for the future. . . . But in

order that this confidence be not pre-

sumptuous ... we must listen to the
maternal counsel which she gave at the

marriage feast of Cana, and do all that she

says. She tells us all to do penance, to

amend our lives and flee from sin, which is

the principal cause of the awful chastise-

ment with which Eternal Justice punishes

the world . . . and by constant prayer

—especially the daily Rosary—as well as
by such sacrifices as zeal inspires, to win

for sinful souls the life of grace and life

eternal. . . . Happy is the people whose

Lord is God and whose Queen is the

Mother of God!”

But why go on? We have yet to find a

Catholic who has any doubt about the won-

ders of Fatima. Nor is your quite legiti-

mate query a doubt. You are merely

wondering.

28



Wonder no longer. But read all you can

about Fatima. Above all find out what she

wants you to do—and do it. Our Lady of
Fatima, pray for us!

29



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