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MÁRIAPÓCS
HUNGARIAN GREEK CATHOLIC SHRINE OF WEEPING MOTHER OF GOD
Among Carpatho-Rusyn Christians, the Weeping Icon of Marijapovch is
revered because it stands for believers as a witness to the protection
and intercession of the Most Holy Mother of God.
The icon itself comes
from and expresses the life of the Church in Eastern Europe. Its rich
history reflects a deeply rooted faith in God and a trusting devotion
to the Mother of God.
In the northeastern plains of Hungary, in the
village of Povch (former Szabolcs County), stands the Monastery of the
Basilian Fathers, with a magnificent church.
Stefan Papp, brother of
the pastor of the church in Povch, who had studied art in Italy, was
engaged by Laszlo Csigri to write an icon of the Mother of God for the
ikonostas. He painted the Virgin Mother on wood holding the Divine
Infant with a three-petaled tulip in His hand.
Unable to pay for the
icon, Lorincz Hurta, a well-to-do parishioner, donated it to the
church. In this church the first weeping of the icon of the Mother of
God took place on November 14, 1696 according to the Julian calendar.
The same miracle occurred again from December 8 to 19th of the same
year. Needless to say, this miracle was a great consolation to the
discouraged people of Povch.
Ever since the first miraculous weeping,
the village of Povch has been called Marijapovch (in Hungarian,
Mariapocs). When Leopold I, Emperor of Austria, had been informed of
the miraculous icon, he immediately had it transferred to Vienna. This
royal act did not please the people of Povch and they very reluctantly
parted with the holy icon.
On December 1, 1697, the icon was placed
above the tabernacle of the main altar in St. Stephen’s Basilica in
Vienna. During the Second World War it was taken down to the grottoes
of the basilica for safe-keeping. After the war it was placed above a
new altar with a baldachin, close to the main entrance on the
right-hand side of the basilica.
The carriage transporting the icon was
delayed at each post depot on the route to Vienna by large groups of
people, who had gathered to pay homage to the icon. Count Carbelli, a
chamberlain of Emperor Leopold I, was so impressed by the piety and
devotion of the crowds that he ordered a Jesuit Father from Koљice to
come to Barca, Abauj County, to make a copy of the icon for the church
at Povch.
When the icon was completed, the people formed a procession
and carried the new icon to Marijapovch.
This second icon of Marijapovch began to shed tears on the first,
second, and third of August in 1715. Devotion to the holy icon
increased and the church at Marijapovch became a most renowned place of
pilgrimage.
Nearly two centuries passed before the third shedding of
tears which took place in December 1905.
The present Marian Shrine in
Mariapovch was built between 1731–1756, in baroque style, under the
auspices of Count Francis Karoliy. It was dedicated by Bishop M.
Olshanvskij of Mukachevo in honor of St. Michael. He was buried in the
crypt of the church in 1767. Unfortunately, during 1945 remodeling of
the church, the Ruthenian inscription of his grave was replaced with
one in Hungarian, just to erase any trace of the shrine’s Ruthenian
origin.
In 1991 Pope JOHN PAUL II during his apostolic visit in Hungary
,visited our shrine and celebrated or Divine Liturgy of St John
Chrisostomus in Hungarian language in Byzantine rite before the
Miraculous Icon of Mariapocs. There were about 800,000 people there.
24 hr Live Feed from Lourdes Grotto
found at: www.sacred-destinations.com
The Miraculous Black Madonna of Monserrat
A rugged mountain not far from Barcelona is home to one of the most popular pilgrimage destinations in Spain: the Shrine of Our Lady of Montserrat.
Since the 12th century, pilgrims have been drawn to the mountain to venerate the miraculous statue of the Black Madonna (La Moreneta). In 1996, 2.6 million visitors came to Montserrat.
According to Catholic tradition, the statue of the Black Virgin of Montserrat was carved by St. Luke around 50 AD and brought to Spain. It was later hidden from the Moors in a cave (Santa Cova, the Holy Grotto), where it was rediscovered in 880 AD.
According to the legend of the discovery, which was first recorded in the 13th century, the statue was discovered by shepherds. They saw a bright light and heard heavenly music that eventually led them to the grotto and the statue.
The Bishop of Manresa, present at the discovery, suggested that it be moved to Manresa, but the small statue was discovered to be so heavy it could not be lifted. Thus the Virgin had indicated her will to stay on Montserrat to be venerated there.
By the 9th century, there were four chapels on Montserrat, of which only one remains - St. Aciscolo's, which is in the monastery's garden. In the 11th century, the abbot-bishop Oliba founded a monastery on the mountain of Montserrat, next to one of the chapels. Many miracles were reported through the intercession of the Virgin Mary at Montserrat.
According to historians, it was then, in the 12th century, that the statue of the Madonna and Child was made. The Madonna statue soon earned widespread fame as numerous miracles were associated with the intercession of the Black Virgin of Montserrat.
Many of the first missionary churches in Mexico, Chile and Peru were dedicated to Our Lady of Montserrat and many saints and popes have visited the shrine over the centuries. St. Ignatius Loyola made a pilgrimage to Montserrat after being injured in war, and it was soon after that he wrote his famous Spiritual Exercises.
Due to the great numbers of pilgrims that flocked to Montserrat throughout the Middle Ages, the monastery was enlarged from its original humble size. In 1592, the grand basilica of Montserrat was consecrated.
In the late 18th century, almost the entire sanctuary was destroyed during the Napoleonic invasion. But due to the widespread devotion to the shrine, it was soon restored.
In 1881, Montserrat's Black Madonna was crowned in accordance with Canon Law and proclaimed patron saint of Catalonia by Pope Leo XII
A Brief History of The Friars
Arrival of the Carmelites by Adam Kossowski
Aylesford Priory, or 'The Friars' to give it its traditional name, was founded in 1242 when the first Carmelites arrived from the Holy Land. They came under the patronage of Richard de Grey, a crusader, who gave them a small piece of land at his manor of Aylesford.
In 1247 the Bishop of Rochester, Richard of Wendover, officially recognised the Carmelite foundation at Aylesford and the first General Chapter of the Order outside the Holy Land was held there. The Chapter effectively changed the lifestyle of the Carmelites from hermits to mendicant friars and over the next fifty years more than thirty priories were founded in England and Wales including London, Oxford and Cambridge. In 1348 at the Vigil of the Feast of the Holy Cross, the Bishop of Llandaff, John Pashcal, blessed the site of the cemetery and the new chuch but the church was not consecrated until 1417, the delay possibly being caused by the Black Death which affected so much of the population. The dedication of the church was carried out by Richard Young, the Bishop of Rochester.
During the sixteenth century a tradition developed that St Simon Stock (died 1265), Prior General of the Order, had a vision of Our Lady promising her protection to those who wore the Carmelite habit, and the wearing of the scapular subsequently became an important Marian devotion. Some believe the vision happened at Aylesford but it is more commonly thought to have occurred in Cambridge.
In 1538 during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, The Friars passed into the hands of Sir Thomas Wyatt of Allington Castle.
In 1949 The Friars was put up for sale, so the Carmelites were able to buy back their motherhouse. Fr Malachy Lynch, the first Prior, began the task of restoring the buildings and within a short time The Friars became a flourishing pilgrimage centre.
The Brown Scapular
Aylesford, England (1251)
Feast Day: July 16
The Order of Carmelites takes its name from Mount Carmel in Israel, which was the first place dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and where a chapel was erected in her honor before her Assumption into heaven. Saint Simon Stock entered the Carmelite Order in Kent, England, when he was 40 years old. He was sent to Mt. Carmel in the Holy Land where he led a life of prayer and penance until he and most of his brother Religious were forced to leave by the victorious infidels. The group sailed for England. At a General Chapter which was held in Aylesford, England, in 1245 A.D., St. Simon was unanimously elected Prior General of the Carmelite Order.
St. Simon Stock had great devotion to Our Blessed Mother. This may help to explain why the Carmelite Order began to prosper under his guidance despite considerable opposition. In response to his appeal to Our Blessed Mother for help for his oppressed Order, on July 16, 1251 A.D. (he was 86 years old at the time), Mary appeared to him holding a Brown Scapular in her hand. Mary said to him: "Receive, My beloved son, this habit of thy order: this shall be to thee and to all Carmelites a privilege, that whosoever dies clothed in this shall never suffer eternal fire." This was truly a great gift and a great promise from the Mother of God.
After this apparition, Friar Stock went on to establish Carmelite communities near university towns in England, France and Italy. He became the Superior-General of his order several years after the apparition. Until very recently, the brown scapular was one of the most widely used religious symbols of personal dedication to the mission of Mary found in her last recorded words in the Bible (John 2:5). The promotion and use of all types of Marian devotional symbols has declined dramatically since the 1960's.
For over 700 years, the Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel has been one of the most precious gifts and highly-indulgenced Sacramentals of our Church. It is more than that, however; it is in reality a garment, given to us by Our Blessed Mother which makes us her special children. Blessing and clothing with the Scapular of the 'Blessed Virgin of Mt. Carmel' enrolls the individual in the Scapular Confraternity and admits him to a share in all the spiritual works performed by the Religious of Mount Carmel.
At Lourdes in 1858, the Virgin chose to make Her last apparition on July 16th, feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the day the Church commemorates Her apparition to Saint Simon Stock. And at Fatima on October 13, 1917, it is as Our Lady of Mount Carmel that Mary appeared when She said farewell to the three children. Throughout the ages, the Queen of Carmel has always kept a faithful watch over the destinies of Her cherished children on earth.
Apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Medjugorje
On 24 June 1981, in the mountain parish of Medjugorje, in what was then Yugoslavia, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to six young people. Next day, She appeared again to four of those six, together with two others. Those six (four girls and two boys) of the second day became the definite visionaries -- their christian names being Ivanka, Mirjana, Vicka, Ivan, Marija and Jakov. On the second day, Our Lady spoke, and ever since, She has been (with a few exceptions in the early days) appearing daily to all, or some of the six. The apparitions have taken place at various sites, and occasionally to individual visionaries while travelling outside Bosnia. Secrets have been given to each, and there have been countless messages. Our Lady has identified herself in Medjugorje as the Blessed Virgin, Queen of Peace, and her central message is peace - peace with God and man.
Statue of Our Lady of Lourdes in Medjugorje She has told the young people: "I have come to tell the world that God exists. He is the fullness of life, and to enjoy this fullness and obtain peace, you must return to God." In bringing the world back to her Son, Mary has been sent by the Father to help in various ways to make Medjugorje a model parish.
During the apparitions, the visionaries do not react to light, they do not hear any earthly sound, they do not react to being touched. They have been subjected to many scientific tests even during the apparitions, and the findings are well documented. While with Our Lady they feel they are outside time and space.
According to six visionaries, as well as millions of believers, the Virgin Mary began appearing in the tiny Balkan village of Medjugorje (med-you-gor-yeh) on June 24th, 1981. She has appeared every day since. Her messages, intended for all humanity, ask people to place God first in their lives.
The visionaries…Ivan, Marija, Ivanka, Jakov, Vicka and Mirjana… claim that Gospa -- the Croatian word for 'Our Lady' -- has been giving them each ten secrets concerning the future of the world. These secrets are said to include miracles and worldwide events that will be sent by God to convert humanity. The daily apparitions stopped for Mirjana, Ivanka and Jakov after they received all ten secrets. However, Ivan, Marija and Vicka still see the Virgin Mary every day.
It is said The Bishop of Mostar is not supportive of the Medjugorje apparitions, but that the Vatican shows a great deal of interest. Many bishops, priests and other clergy claim that Pope John Paul the Second strongly believed in Medugorje. He had met personally with at least three of the visionaries. After Pope John Paul II's death, the Medjugorje visionary Ivan saw him during an apparition with Our Lady. The Pope appeared young and joyful.
Annunciation
2nd International ARC Salon Competition - Figurative Finalist
B. Nicole Klassen
The Annunciation
Oil on linen
Found at:
http://www.artrenewal.org
The Annunciation
c. 1480. Now in Rijksmuseum Netherlands
Tilman Riemenschneider
Alabaster, occasional polychromy and gilt
Size: 39x40.5 cm
The group consists of two separate pieces, probably once part of a single domestic altar.
It depicts the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary: the angel Gabriel tells Mary that she will have a child, the son of God.
Mary and Gabriel are depicted in a vivid and detailed manner.
These figures were made in around 1480 by Tilman Riemenschneider, one of the principal German sculptors of the Late Middle Ages.
He used an expensive material: Alabaster. Alabaster is a stone with an extremely fine structure.
It can be beautifully mottled or grained and is often slightly translucent.
The finely detailed alabaster is so beautiful that it was only painted intermittently to provide accentuation.
The Black Madonna
One of the most beloved images in all Christianity is the The Black Madonna. Devotion to the Black Virgin has never been stronger, Her shrines attract thousands of worshippers each year. The Black Madonna is revered througout the world, particularly in France, Poland, Italy and Spain. She is the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Crusades and holy pilgrimages.
The Black Madonna is honored as a true Goddess figure, and has been since Christianity entered Europe. She is honored by many as Isis, Gaia, Kali, Mary, "the Other Mary" (Mary Magdalene), Diana, Sheela Na Gig, and the Ancient Primal Earth-Mother Goddess.
For many European Christians, the blending of their ancient Goddesses with the Blessed Virgin Mary has been a well accepted fact of their faith for centuries, there is no conflict. The Black Madonna, be She called Isis, or Mary, or Kali, or Diana, embodies all the aspects of Female Divinity for many millions of people. Mary's blessings and intervention are still sought daily.
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After this apparition, Friar Stock went on to establish Carmelite communities near university towns in England, France and Italy. He became the Superior-General of his order several years after the apparition. Until very recently, the brown scapular was one of the most widely used religious symbols of personal dedication to the mission of Mary found in her last recorded words in the Bible (John 2:5). The promotion and use of all types of Marian devotional symbols has declined dramatically since the 1960's. 
