The World of Marian Apparitions: Mary's Appearances and Messages from Fatima to Today

by Wincenty Łaszewski

The world-changing appearance of Our Lady at Fatima ushered in a continuing series of remarkable apparitions worldwide that the Church has either officially approved or marked as likely-authentic. Author and Mariologist Wincenty Laszewski summarizes the powerful and urgent messages of these apparitions in this unparalleled, encyclopedic work-instantly the new standard on the subject. Most of these riveting chapters include portentous warnings - some are ominous, others more hopeful. This stunning book serves as a wake-up call to the faithful and is a worldwide clarion call to deeper prayer and conversion. It includes:

Over 400 pages describing the fully documented miracles and visions
Fascinating accounts by eyewitnesses, including non-believers
50+ maps of locations and pilgrimage sites
Photos and illustrations: documents, events, and faces of the visionaries
The finest works of art and reproductions of Our Lady

Each message and appearance is analyzed and quoted precisely. Their sheer abundance is enough to absorb believing Catholics-and many a skeptic-from all walks of life and reading habits. A partial listing of those described includes:

Fatima, Portugal, 1917: The Message of Fatima
Basel, Switzerland, 1917: Mystical Wounds
Fatima, Portugal, 1921: Mother of Obedience
Pontevedra, Spain, 1925: Contemplative Mother of God
Banneux, Belgium, 1933: Virgin of the Poor
Heede, Germany, 1937: Queen of the Poor Souls in Purgatory
Siekierki, Poland, 1943: Holy Mother Teacher of Youth
Tre Fontane, Italy, 1947: Virgin of Revelation
Warsaw, Poland, 1948: Dispenser of Divine Omnipotence
Ngome, Africa, 1955: Mary, Tabernacle of the Most High
Rome City, USA, 1956-9: Most Holy Mary, Lady of America
Zeitoun, Egypt, 1968: Silent Lady
Akita, Japan, 1973: Apocalyptic Madonna
Deir el-Ahmar, Lebanon, 1976: Virgin Mary of the Maronites
Asdee, Ireland, 1985: Madonnas in Motion
Hruszew, Ukraine, 1987: Madonna of Kiev

Genres: Catholic, Nonfiction, Religion, Christianity, Faith, Christian

405 pages, Hardcover

Published November 18, 2021

About the author

Doktor teologii dogmatycznej, specjalista w zakresie antropologii mariologicznej, zajmujący się historią kultu maryjnego w Europie, chrześcijańskim doświadczeniem maryjnym oraz objawieniami maryjnymi w świecie. Pracownik Sekretariatu Fatimskiego z siedzibą w sanktuarium Matki Bożej Fatimskiej w Zakopanem i redaktor.

Reviews

[Emily Strom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book! Learned so much about Marian apparitions I had never heard of, and I appreciated how the author was super clear about which apparitions were approved by the pope or local bishops and which ones had some controversy surrounding them. I loved the layout of the book - lots of beautiful pictures and the words of Mary in bold. On the whole a very inspiring book that made me want to recommit to and strengthen my own prayer life.

Thank you to the priest who recommended it to my family!

[Ktmholm · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked it up on a whim, drawn in by the beautiful photographs. While I’d heard of the Virgin Mary’s apparitions at Fatima and at Medjugorje, I was very surprised that this 2021 book lists 48 different apparitions around the world, some of which went on for months. The author describes not just the messages given (principally to pray the Rosary), but what happened afterward. Curiously, the last prophecy, from Sept. 2019, says, “Pray for China, because new diseases will come from there, all ready to infect the air by unknown bacteria.” (We all know how that turned out.)

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately I didn’t love this book like I thought and hoped I would. But nor do I have real issues with it either. I have read some amazing books about the apparitions of Our Lady, which is a more traditional and intimately Catholic way of referring to Mary, the Holy Virgin, the Mother of God.

A few years ago, I read and fell in love with a certain book about the apparitions of Garabandal, Spain - which I was disappointed and somewhat mystified to find did not even get a mention in this supposedly comprehensive encyclopaedia on the matter. I have also read a small but impactful number of books about the Miracle of Fatima, Portugal, which is one of those rare cases where even the Catholic Church itself (an institution understandably wary about giving full endorsement to such events) has more or less vouched its authenticity , if still declaring it a matter of personal faith instead of dogma. Naturally, Fatima gets a lot of attention here, though I was surprised also that even Lourdes (perhaps the most well-known apparition site in the secular lexicon) is mostly ignored.

On the other hand, there were some cases I hadn’t known about, or had only heard about in a vague sort of way, which are quite fascinating. My favourite new one to have learned about would be the appearance of Our Lady atop a church in the Cairo district of Zeitoun in 1968. Of course, a quick scan of the many alleged photos of the apparition do appear to reveal a wide spectrum ranging grainy and indistinct (probably the more authentic) to immaculately clear and striking images that surely must draw at least some reservation from even the most fervent.

All the same, like many another mystifying phenomenon connected to Christianity (and usually Catholicism, much less the disapproving Protestants) that is conveniently swept under the rug, the Zeitoun case does have some compelling elements that are yet to be thoroughly debunked, where you’d think that naysayers would now be quite capable of doing so if they wanted, and proof of fakery was there. It remains something that sceptics seem either to reject purely on the basis of negative assumption - “Of course it’s nonsense, Grandma” - or else simply shrug their shoulders and say, “Well, weird things happen sometimes”.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more, and also felt more of a spiritual excitement in reading it, had the author not chosen to take a broader view of a wide range of cases, but instead just focussed on a few in particular, or even just one. If true - and there are a lot of people, myself included, who would certainly love for them to be - they can hardly have justice done to them by being thrown into a larger collection of other, fairly similar-sounding cases, which ends up sadly diminishing their impact as truly amazing, arresting, hopeful and usually disconcerting moments in our lumbering timeline, where God, his Mother, His saints, His angels, have reached out, beseeching us to repent, to pray more, and to realign our fallen world towards the distant peaks of Heaven.

[Steven R. McEvoy · Rating 5 out of 5]

First this was an amazing read. A stunning book, full of photo’s, information boxes and well researched text. Wincenty Łaszewski, has written an incredible volume. And for the most part I thought it was excellent. I have a few concerns but will share them later.

This is an English edition of, Świat Maryjnych Objawień, originally published in Polish and a fourth edition is releasing in 2022. This edition is based on the third edition published in 2020. Lately I have found several wonderful authors who publish in their native Polish, for example Father Jan Twardowski and Father Father Andrzej Muszala, and find that too few of their works are available in English.

The chapters are:

Introduction
Legend
Map

ROME 1884 - A Vision of the Church’s Future
SAN GIOVANNI ROTONDO 1911 - Padre Pio’s Laughing Madonna
ALJUSTREL 1913 - Little Lúcia’s Madonna
FATIMA 1917 - The Message of Fatima
BASEL 1917 - A Mystical Wound
RADZYMIN 1920 - The Anti-Bolshevik Mother of God
FATIMA 1921 - Mother of Obedience
FATIMA 1921 - The Seventh Fatima Apparition
PONTEVEDRA 1925 - The Contemplative Mother of God
TUI, SPAIN 1929 - Patroness of Russia’s Conversion
ŁAGIEWNIKI, VILNIUS, AND PŁOCK 1930s - Intercessor for Mercy
BEAURAING 1932 - Madonna with the Golden Heart
BANNEUX 1933 - Our Lady of the Poor
HEEDE 1937 - Queen of the Poor Souls in Purgatory
SIEKIERKI 1943 - Holy Mother, Teacher of Youth
BALAZAR 1944–1955 - Mother of Light
GHIAIE DI BONATE 1944 - Queen of Families
TURZA ŚLĄSKA 1945 - Sorrowful Mother of the Battlefield
L’ÎLE-BOUCHARD 1947 - The Mother at the Annunciation
TRE FONTANE 1947 - Virgin of Revelation
MONTICHIARI 1947 - Mystical Rose
LIPA 1948 - Mediatrix of All Graces
WARSAW 1948 - Dispenser of Divine Omnipotence
NGOME 1955 - Mary, Tabernacle of the Most High
ROME CITY 1956–1959 - Our Lady of America
ERD 1961–1981 - Flame of the Immaculate Heart
ZEITOUN 1968 - Silent Lady
FATIMA 1972 - The Apocalyptic Heart of Mary
AKITA 1973 - Apocalyptic Madonna
BETANIA 1976 - Mother of Peace and Unity
DEIR EL-AHMAR 1976 - Our Lady of Lebanon
CUAPA 1980 - Mother of Sinners
MEDJUGORJE 1981 - Queen of Peace
KIBEHO 1981 - Mother of the Word
SAN NICOLÁS 1983–1990 - Our Lady of the Rosary
ASDEE, IRELAND 1985 - Madonnas in Motion
MANILA 1986 - The Lady Who Commands Soldiers
BELPASSO 1986 - The Immaculate Heart of the Queen of Peace
YAGMA AND LOUDA 1986 - Lady of Assumption, Mother of Peace
HRUSHIV 1987 - Madonna of Kiev
UNITED STATES 1987 - Harbinger of Change
KUREŠČEK 1989–1999 - Queen of Peace
LITMANOVA 1990–1995 - The Immaculate Purity
AOKPE 1992 - Mediatrix of All Graces
IRELAND 2003 - A Beacon for Our Times
MEXICO CITY 2007 - A Strange Light
WARRAQ 2009 - Royal Virgin of Giza
TREVIGNANO ROMANO 2014 - Apocalyptic Protector

The book is stunning, each of the apparitions cover span from 2 pages to 14 pages, and a number of them are either 10 or 12. They begin with a spanned two page image of the location and contain Name, Dates, and symbols as code for status of the apparition. Those symbols are one of 9 they are:

An apparition recognized by the Vatican
A visionary recognized as a saint, blessed, venerable, or servant of God
The pope visited the apparition site and/or gave it special privileges
An apparition recognized by the local bishop
An imprimatur or nihil obstat granted to the texts of the revelation
Devotion recognized at the apparition site
Unusual miracles at the apparition site
An apparition recognized by the Coptic Church
An apparition accepted by belief of pilgrims

The world map has the following Symbols:

Recognized by the Vatican after bishop approval
Approved by local bishop
Unconfirmed as supernatural
Marian apparitions to future saints

It is almost information overload. I read the volume over a couple of weeks. Sometimes stopping after one apparition and sometimes reading a few. I cannot help but wonder what some of the updates in the new 2022, 4th Polish Edition will include, and if anything is being dropped. My first concern is related to two sites, one omitted in this volume, Knock Ireland, and Medjugorje. When it comes to Marian apparitions most of us have a few favourites. Knock is one of mine, and the first thing I did was check the table of contents, and honestly was a little disappointed when it was omitted. Second the author hints at controversy around Medjugorje, which started when I was still in high school and hit a peak of popularity when I was in University. I have read much about this site, and my personal feelings have changed a lot over the years, I am currently working Medjugorje Complete: The Definitive Account of the Visions and Visionaries by Donal Anthony Foley. The author of this work does not go into some of the controversies around this site and the visionaries and seems to gloss over it. It seems very unbiased, especially considering I understand that both Saint John Paul II and Emiratis Pope Benedict XVI have had serious concerns about the site and messages.

My second concern is the eBook edition. I have a dual form of dyslexia and usually prefer eBooks. I did purchase the eBook for this direct from the publisher, as there is no Kindle edition, the formatting was horrendous. The file is almost 90 MB in size, I tried reading it through a few eBook readers on my PC (FB Reader, Calibre, Kobo for PC), and even Google Play on the Web and it was terribly painful. And it was even worse on a tablet. I gave up on the digital edition and purchased a physical copy. In this case the eBook was more of a hindrance than a help.

That being said this is a wonderful volume. I believe it is the only one by Wincenty Laszewski available in English currently. We are informed on the Sophia Institute site that:

“Polish theologian, doctor of dogmatic theology, writer and translator. Author of many books devoted to Our Lady , especially Marian apparitions. Member of the World Apostolate of Fatima. In his publications, he deals mainly with the history of Marian devotion in Europe and with apparitions taking place in various places around the world. He looks for connections between revelations and contemporary history.”

Part of the description of this volume is:

“The world-changing appearance of Our Lady at Fatima ushered in a continuing series of remarkable apparitions worldwide that the Church has either officially approved or marked as likely-authentic. Author and Mariologist Wincenty Laszewski summarizes the powerful and urgent messages of these apparitions in this unparalleled, encyclopedic work-instantly the new standard on the subject. Most of these riveting chapters include portentous warnings - some are ominous, others more hopeful. This stunning book serves as a wake-up call to the faithful and is a worldwide clarion call to deeper prayer and conversion. It includes:

• Over 400 pages describing the fully documented miracles and visions
• Fascinating accounts by eyewitnesses, including non-believers
• 50+ maps of locations and pilgrimage sites
• Photos and illustrations: documents, events, and faces of the visionaries
• The finest works of art and reproductions of Our Lady

Each message and appearance is analyzed and quoted precisely. Their sheer abundance is enough to absorb believing Catholics-and many a skeptic-from all walks of life and reading habits.”

And I agree. This is a magnificent volume, great for any home, school or church library. With how many books I read a year I tend not to keep many physical books, this is one that will stay on my shelf, at least until the next edition comes out in English. A great read for all Catholics!

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2022 Catholic Reading Plan!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book that presents as a coffee table book, but should be read cover to cover, as it is chock full of information of many of the Marian apparitions from Fatima to current times. Pertinent messages from each apparition are in bold print and easy to find. Pictures are beautiful.

[Cal Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Over 70k believers and non believers saw the miracle of the sun in 1917 from Our Lady of Fatima. (The last apparition was October 13th 1917, where she prophesied that Russias errors would spread throughout the whole world.. Oct 27th, 1917 Bolshevik Revolution in Russia started)

Over a million Christian’s and Muslims saw Our Lady of Zeitoun.

The picture of our Lady of Guadalupe’s womb glowed the day Mexico legalized abortion on demand in 2007.

The list goes on and on.

Her purpose and message is always to lead people to her Son Jesus Christ

“And Mary said, my soul magnifies the Lord”
Luke 1:46

“His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.””
‭‭John‬ ‭2‬:‭5‬ ‭

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭15‬ ‭

When Jesus saw his mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, 'Woman, behold, your son!' . Then he said to the disciple, 'Behold, your mother! '" (Jn 19:26-27)

“Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant was seen within his temple. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and heavy hail. And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne,”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭11:19 - 12‬:‭1‬-‭5‬
‭‭

[Midge · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the Introduction to the book:

"The first apparition of Mary happened in the year 40, when Mary was still alive. She was living in Jerusalem and appeared to the Apostle James the Greater in Spain. The apparition was controversial in Spain but was later approved by the Congregation of Rites in 1723 under Pope Innocent XIII."

Since then, Mary, the Mother of God, has appeared to various children, adults, and religious. She asks for prayer and repentance, and sometimes gives warnings about future events in the world.
The book describes 48 separate apparitions from around the world, occurring from 1884 through 2011. All have been investigated and received Papal approval.
This is a beautifully presented book, full of attending pictures and descriptions of the persons to whom Mary appeared, the apparitions themselves (including Mary's words and instructions), and associated world events.
I am astounded at the number of "Mary" events and the consistency her requests. Her message has always been: PRAY!

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully written and photographed coffee table book. In its 400+ pages, the author has thought to include items such as a legend of the Church’s determination (recognized by the Vatican, local bishop, pilgrims, miracles at the site, etc) and with each chapter of an apparition, a graphic of the geographic location and sometimes, the geopolitical events occurring at that time. Inasmuch as specific books and films are mentioned with the note that sales go to building a chapel or site improvements, I would recommend that future editions include a list of those resources and how they may be purchased. Finally, my copy was released in 2021. It discusses apparitions through 2014. In the future when updating, I would ask that the publishers consider offering a 2nd much smaller volume of only the updates as an option for readers who do not wish to purchase a complete volume.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Over 400 pages long, this collection comprises both well-known and lesser-known apparitions of Mary.

"The first apparition of Mary happened in the year 40, while Mary was still alive."

That's quite an introduction. 

The book covers apparitions spanning from 1844 through 2011. It's packed with a lot of information and beautiful photos. It's a great book if you want to learn about some of the Marian apparitions. 

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting collection of apparition accounts. I think Catholics might understand better some of the Catholic expressions and descriptions. Left me with questions such as Why does Mary appear to so many females ?? Why so many occurred in Europe??

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!