Has Mary ever appeared to YOU?

[Bob_Crowley]

I think I had a bit of a vision or dream of her when I was a kid. Not being Catholic at the time (that was years away), it didn’t make much sense. She did say something, but it was such a long time ago I can’t remember much about it.

I do remember one strange incident when one my aunts died. I only found out later she was a very staunch Catholic. Anyway we went to her home where her husband and kids were there. Unknown to me she was lying in state on the bed as the ambulance hadn’t come (she’d simply dropped dead from a heart attack, as she’d had glandular fever when she was younger). She was only about 30 and the kids were very young.

Anyway I wandered into the bedroom, saw her there and went out to my parents, “Aunt Mary’s in there!” I was hushed up, and I think they were embarassed when they realised I’d been in the room.

Anyway the time came to go home, and this is where it got strange. I was about to get into the car, when “Aunt Mary” wandered out on the small front landing. She looked daggers at my father, who looked at me. His face was utterly demonic. Her face was accusing at him. Then she looked at me, and her face was, well, judgemental. It was a rather frightening experience for a six year old kid. Then she seemed to go inside, not normally the action of a dead person. My father then snarled at me, “Get in the car!” So I did.

I didn’t know who to talk to. I couldn’t’ talk to my father as that would have been a complete waste of time, and my mother hadn’t seen it, so I was left high and dry with this peculiar experience, which would no doubt have been written off as a kid’s imagination. I had no knowledge at that time of her every strong Catholicism, and it was years before I found out.

But I wonder about the connection between the fact she was a staunch Catholic, her name was Mary, and the later brief dream or vision. Add to the that the business of my father appearing in my room the night he died (about 20 years later), along with his final departing scream, and a few other experiences along the line, and well, it gets a bit bewildering at times. I wonder what’s it all pointing at.

But as for anything like Fatima, nothing like it. Not even a scent of roses as far as I can remember.

Bit of an aside regarding the same family ie. Aunt Mary.

To set the scene, the person who told me my own father had died was the above Aunt Mary’s husband, my mother’s brother (my uncle). By this time he’d recently remarried, but he died himself later the same year from cancer.

He turned up four days after my father’s appearance in my room, as it took four days for his body to be discovered.

To get on with it - about four years ago I was debating with atheists on a google groups site on NDE’s (Near Death Experiences). As usual I was getting nowhere (ever tried arguing with atheists?), so I prayed I might meet someone who had an NDE.

About two or three days after that, I met a bloke from Eventide Nursing Home at Brighton (which happens to be the suburb where the above family took root) when I went there to pick him up as a booked Maxi Taxi job. Incidentally he didn’t want a Maxi, just an ordinary cab. The job was preserved for me by a system glitch or operator error, or I’d never have got it. We’d only been going a few minutes when he suddenly remarked that he was one of those rare people, and that he’d been technically dead for ten minutes after an operation. So I go tmy NDE request answered.

But not only was my request for an NDE person granted, but it turned out he went to the same high school as the eldest son of the above Uncle and “Aunt Mary”. So even when I simply asked to meet an NDE, there was still this peculiar connection with that family.

Someone’s been pulling strings up there for some reason. I’m still not sure why, or where it’s going to lead, but there’s just been too many very unlikely co-incidences in regard to this spiritual stuff.

 

[legacyfive2002]

I’m not Catholic, been studying the Catholic beliefs for 4 years. I have been in contact with an RCIA director last week.

3 weeks ago, I believe Mary appeared to me in a dream. I just got some news about my mom’s diabetes being worse and her kidneys aren’t functioning like they are supposed to. I was worried about losing her too. I lost my dad when i was 7 years old. I went to sleep and in my dream i was praying the Rosary and a woman appeared out of nowhere she looked like she was glowing…a lot of bright light around her…honestly i don’t remember what she said but i felt peace and comfort like everything was going to be okay.

I also had another dream the week before then, that i died. In my dream i went to heaven and saw Jesus and Mary and a third person waiting at the gate. I couldn’t tell who the third person was but i started to go toward the gate and Jesus stopped me and said no not yet. i came back to life in my dream 3 days after i died. They had already done an autopsy on my body. Then i woke up.

 

[perro_sarnoso]

No the Blessed Virgin Mary has never appeared to me.

And I wouldn’t want to see an apparition or desire an apparition.

Many Saints say don’t have desire in your heart to be visited by a supernatural apparition.

There are far better chances you’ll be visited by Satan or one of his demons in disguise.

My advise for what its worth is to stay clear of such desires.

Peace
Chris

You are right inasmuch as desire is never a part of it.

All my adult life my prayer has always been - among other things- " your grace is sufficient for me".

No one who has ever had a visit from the Theotokos has ever set out to to have that encounter. However, when it does happen, you don’t try to possess it or allow your emotions to get the better of you.
You still have the Peace of the Lord and you are greatful - even though you feel humbled and ask (or at least I asked) why me? or why to me, Blessed Mother…thank you".

Nothing else. Sometimes its just a gift and not an aparition for messages of the end of time. It doesn’t have to be ominous or spectacular…even though her presence is special. God allows it and you are greatful. Nothing else.

 

[DevotedChild]

twice and both while i was praying the rosary.

 

[Vianney_fan]

I had a dream once. It was raining, kind of dark too, and there she was in front of Jesus Crucified but looking to me crying and I could see her chest expanding and shrinking of the pain. The rain was falling on her too and I suddenly awake because I was starting to have the same pain as her. She was dressed as a Nun with a black outfit.
This was my dream that I will never forget.

 

[roselily]

Hey out of curiosity, has Mary ever appeared to you? count dreams or really anything that has struck you as miraculous. :bounce:

Yes!

 

[aicirt]

Years ago, my husband’s father died in the living room of the family home. His mother was bedridden and stayed upstairs in bed. My mother-in-law had to go up and tell her that her son had just died. Great-grandmother responded, “Yes, I know. The Blessed Virgin passed my room before and she had Dan by the hand. They stopped and he waved good-bye.” Great grand-ma saw her son as a young child and not the 50 year old man he was at the time of his death.

 

[Loboto-Me]

When I was young, perhaps 10 or 11?.. hard to remember as I’m going to be 50 next month. I dreamt that the Blessed Mother appeared to me and was trying to tell me something very important. She was crying and I wondered what was the matter. She pointed down below us, as I was higher up than the land and she was higher yet. What she pointed at were creatures that looked like black ants, thousands of them, walking toward one area. I woke up knowing that she was trying to tell me something but I was too young and dumb to understand it properly. The only thing I knew was that the ants weren’t real ants, that they represented humanity and she was crying either because of them, or because something was going to happen to them.

Another dream when I was a little older, perhaps 15 or so, I was laying in the the bed in my dream, but there was a door beside the bed that was only open a crack. Through the opening of the door, I saw who I knew was Jesus preaching. I saw him in profile, yet due to the door and his position, I never saw his face completely, but I did see his hands as he was gesturing to whoever he was talking to.

Both these dreams have imprinted themselves to me in a special way. I recognise dream messages with how I wake up from them… only problem is, I’m pretty dense when it comes to cryptic messages.

Two days ago I dreamt that I was sitting in a little mezzanine area of a park. In front of me was a statue of Our Lady which was made of cement. The statue came to life and sat in front of me. THAT one was not a dream message… just a fun dream to have. One my subconscious is trying to tell me something about I suppose. It’s a completely different feeling from the other type.

 

[Holly3278]

No, she has never appeared to me. It would be totally awesome if she did though!

 

[Telstar]

Just found this thread but I believe Mary appeared to me in a dream about a week ago. I have been fighting against sexual immorality recently and have been doing great with my struggles, through bible time and rosary and prayer.

Anyways, in my dream with me was a woman who has been my friend for a few years now and that I have had attractions to, the dream soon turned sexual. The amazing part was I had been praying for “clean” dreams, I didn’t want to have any sexual dreams and when my dream was becoming sexual out of nowhere a white light appeared and all I could see was the blessed Virgin Mary walking…just walking. It was really peaceful and at the end the Virgin Mary and I believe Jesus HIMSELF were standing over a baby carriage playing with and comforting a small baby, it was really cool! All my sexual thoughts in the dream just disappeared!

Since your intention was to avoid sexual dreams, I’m thinking that the man you saw with Mary might have actually been St. Joseph, who although he was her lawful husband, they never had a sexual relationship at all. If that’s the case, then the Baby might have been the Child Jesus. The entire Holy Family is the perfect example of sexual purity. Just a thought.

 

[goforgoal]

I’m not Catholic, been studying the Catholic beliefs for 4 years. I have been in contact with an RCIA director last week.

3 weeks ago, I believe Mary appeared to me in a dream. I just got some news about my mom’s diabetes being worse and her kidneys aren’t functioning like they are supposed to. I was worried about losing her too. I lost my dad when i was 7 years old. I went to sleep and in my dream i was praying the Rosary and a woman appeared out of nowhere she looked like she was glowing…a lot of bright light around her…honestly i don’t remember what she said but i felt peace and comfort like everything was going to be okay.

I also had another dream the week before then, that i died. In my dream i went to heaven and saw Jesus and Mary and a third person waiting at the gate. I couldn’t tell who the third person was but i started to go toward the gate and Jesus stopped me and said no not yet. i came back to life in my dream 3 days after i died. They had already done an autopsy on my body. Then i woke up.

First of all a warm welcome to CAF and Congratulations on contacting the director of RCIA. Hopefully, you find RCIA and CAF both helpful.

Anyways, I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your dad and I’m sorry to hear about your mom’s health. <–I will add them and you to my Prayers.

Perhaps the person waiting at the gates was St. Joseph, St. Peter, or your dad (a relative)?

I wanted to add that Catholics do not Pray to Mary, Saints, Angels, or God’s holy men and women we ask for their intercession.

God bless you for sharing your story…God bless all of you for sharing your incredible stories.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us. Amen.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, hear our Prayers. Amen.
goforgoal

 

[Waiting]

First of all a warm welcome to CAF and Congratulations on contacting the director of RCIA. Hopefully, you find RCIA and CAF both helpful.

Anyways, I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your dad and I’m sorry to hear about your mom’s health. <–I will add them and you to my Prayers.

Perhaps the person waiting at the gates was St. Joseph, St. Peter, or your dad (a relative)?

I wanted to add that Catholics do not Pray to Mary, Saints, Angels, or God’s holy men and women we ask for their intercession.

God bless you for sharing your story…God bless all of you for sharing your incredible stories.

Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pray for us. Amen.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, hear our Prayers. Amen.
goforgoal

Unless I’m totally offbase here, Catholics DO pray to Mary, angels, and the saints. Praying is talking, and I do talk to them a lot. We do ask them to intercede for us, as of themselves they cannot grant our requests. What we don’t do is worship them. We honor and venerate them.

 

[scoobydoo6v92]

Unless I’m totally offbase here, Catholics DO pray to Mary, angels, and the saints. Praying is talking, and I do talk to them a lot. We do ask them to intercede for us, as of themselves they cannot grant our requests. What we don’t do is worship them. We honor and venerate them.

Yes I understand that,But it is a matter of, Hoe to phrase things to our prostestant friends without them accusing Catholics worshipping idols and such. So when I discuss things like this to a protestant I say as we ask each other to pray for us , We as Catholics ask the Virgin Mother to pray for us intercede for us as the angels and saints are in much better standing with Christ than us. Just as if you have a friend in a high place at a company and you ask him/her to talk to the CEO to help you get a job at that company. Scoob

 

[goforgoal]

Unless I’m totally offbase here, Catholics DO pray to Mary, angels, and the saints.

Yes, I do honor and venerate Our Blessed Mother and simply ask her to help me and others out, to Pray for me and others.

As for the Saints, God’s holy men and women, Angels, and so forth I ask for their intercession and help.

Here is another thread with the question “Why do Catholics Pray to Mary, Saints, etc.”

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=583211

Whenever you have time please click on some of the links that are provided which gives some good explanations.

scoobydoo6v92- Thank you for the explanation.

I recall when a woman showed a power point presentation of her pilgrimage to Lourdes one of the photos stated “Catholics worshipping Mary” I had to tell this woman, “Wait a minute Catholics do not worship Mary, we honor her and venerate her.”

God bless,
goforgoal

 

[wcknight]

No, and although I love her dearly, the one and only time I want to see her is when my time is up. I fully expect to see her then and only then.

 

[Waiting]

Yes, I do honor and venerate Our Blessed Mother and simply ask her to help me and others out, to Pray for me and others.

As for the Saints, God’s holy men and women, Angels, and so forth I ask for their intercession and help.

Here is another thread with the question “Why do Catholics Pray to Mary, Saints, etc.”

forums.catholic-questions.org/showthread.php?t=583211

Whenever you have time please click on some of the links that are provided which gives some good explanations.

scoobydoo6v92- Thank you for the explanation.

I recall when a woman showed a power point presentation of her pilgrimage to Lourdes one of the photos stated “Catholics worshipping Mary” I had to tell this woman, “Wait a minute Catholics do not worship Mary, we honor her and venerate her.”

God bless,
goforgoal

I reviewed the links, but don’t see anything to dispute that we can and do pray to the saints. They’re simply removed from our sight but not from our presence. We know they don’t have powers of their own, but being in God’s presence itself is pretty powerful. The intercessory power of the saints can’t be underestimated.

 

[goforgoal]

I reviewed the links, but don’t see anything to dispute that we can and do pray to the saints. They’re simply removed from our sight but not from our presence. We know they don’t have powers of their own, but being in God’s presence itself is pretty powerful. The intercessory power of the saints can’t be underestimated.

Well, you (and others) may say that you Pray To: Mary, the Saints, and Angels but I for one Do/Will Not. You’re entitled to your own opinion as I am.

It’s best to just leave it at that.

Anyways, lets get back to the OP question.

Thank you and God bless,
goforgoal

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

I reviewed the links, but don’t see anything to dispute that we can and do pray to the saints. They’re simply removed from our sight but not from our presence. We know they don’t have powers of their own, but being in God’s presence itself is pretty powerful. The intercessory power of the saints can’t be underestimated.

As Catholics, we don’t pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels or the saints. This is anti-biblical: “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols” (Isaiah 42:8).

As Catholics, we merely ask for their intercession. This is an extension of asking a person on Earth to pray for you. Naturally, you would want someone more righteous to pray for you in the hope you attain a favourable outcome. Indeed, “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). From that, how much more righteous can someone be than those in Heaven, who have already passed God’s judgment and have been “tested like gold and refined like silver” (cf. Zechariah 13:9)?

That said, as Catholics, we venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints. Veneration, however, is not worship. Veneration is merely acknowledging the unique contribution an individual has played in the course of history. We venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary (known as hyperdulia) for bringing Jesus Christ into the world; for being with Jesus at the Cross and sharing His suffering most intimately. It is no different from secular society venerating Albert Einstein’s contributions to physics, or John Maynard Keynes’ contribution to economics.

 

[Waiting]

As Catholics, we don’t pray to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the angels or the saints. This is anti-biblical: “I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another or my praise to idols” (Isaiah 42:8).

As Catholics, we merely ask for their intercession. This is an extension of asking a person on Earth to pray for you. Naturally, you would want someone more righteous to pray for you in the hope you attain a favourable outcome. Indeed, “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). From that, how much more righteous can someone be than those in Heaven, who have already passed God’s judgment and have been “tested like gold and refined like silver” (cf. Zechariah 13:9)?

That said, as Catholics, we venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary and the saints. Veneration, however, is not worship. Veneration is merely acknowledging the unique contribution an individual has played in the course of history. We venerate the Blessed Virgin Mary (known as hyperdulia) for bringing Jesus Christ into the world; for being with Jesus at the Cross and sharing His suffering most intimately. It is no different from secular society venerating Albert Einstein’s contributions to physics, or John Maynard Keynes’ contribution to economics.

I suspect that you’re confusing praying with worshipping. Praying is JUST talking. If you’re asking the saints for their intercession, then you are praying to them. You are talking to them. The saints are just as accessible, probably moreso, in heaven than they were on earth. We have no argument here. If you’re praying to God, then you are adding worship.

 

[Bohm_Bawerk]

I suspect that you’re confusing praying with worshipping. Praying is JUST talking. If you’re asking the saints for their intercession, then you are praying to them. You are talking to them. The saints are just as accessible, probably moreso, in heaven than they were on earth. We have no argument here. If you’re praying to God, then you are adding worship.

I can understand where you’re coming from. Where I’m from, prayer and worship is used almost synonymously. We have to take into account that Protestants who may be interested in Catholicism may be put off from our religion by claims we worship (i.e. “pray to”) saints/Blessed Virgin Mary. It’s good to be as clear as you possibly can be so as to not cause confusion or give ammunition for those eager to criticize our faith