How do Eastern Catholics view Mary apparitions

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How do Eastern Catholics view Marian apparitions such as Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe etc.

Do Eastern Catholics believe in these apparitions as Roman Catholics do, or would that posibally cause Latinizations? Thanks for your answers and God Bless!
 
there is a vast number of eastern apparitions and eastern Catholics have a very deep devotion to our lady. I think any apparition that has a star on mary’s forehead is eastern.
 
BVMFatima said:
How do Eastern Catholics view Marian apparitions such as Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Guadalupe etc.

Do Eastern Catholics believe in these apparitions as Roman Catholics do, or would that posibally cause Latinizations? Thanks for your answers and God Bless!
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Like any miracle, they should lead to repentance, conversion, and/or deeper belief in God. Their value goes (or should go) only that far.

Blessings,
Marduk
 
catholictiger said:
there is a vast number of eastern apparitions and eastern Catholics have a very deep devotion to our lady. I think any apparition that has a star on mary’s forehead is eastern.
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If possible, can you name some so I can look into it?
 
catholictiger said:
there is a vast number of eastern apparitions and eastern Catholics have a very deep devotion to our lady. I think any apparition that has a star on mary’s forehead is eastern.
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:confused: I’ve never heard that before! Could you please cite an Eastern Catholic source for that? Also, could you please list any approved apparitions of Mary in which she had a star on her forehead? ** :confused:

Anyway, Eastern Catholics have the same approach to apparitions that Western Catholics do: they’re permitted but not required to believe in them. 👍

(** P.S. I do see that the icon of “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” has a star on her forehead - actually on the top of her veil. This icon is venerated by both East and West. However, an icon is not the same as an apparition. 🙂 )
 
theistgal said:
:confused: I’ve never heard that before! Could you please cite an Eastern Catholic source for that? Also, could you please list any approved apparitions of Mary in which she had a star on her forehead? ** :confused:

Anyway, Eastern Catholics have the same approach to apparitions that Western Catholics do: they’re permitted but not required to believe in them. 👍

(** P.S. I do see that the icon of “Our Lady of Perpetual Help” has a star on her forehead - actually on the top of her veil. This icon is venerated by both East and West. However, an icon is not the same as an apparition. 🙂 )
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The only “apparition” that comes to mind is the one your parish is named after, Theistgal, namely the Holy Protection of the Mother of God (feast day October 1). St. Andrei, Fool For Christ, in 10th cent. Constantinople, saw a vision of the Theotokos spreading her protective veil over the people.orthodoxwiki.org/Protection_of_the_Mother_of_God The icon of the Holy Protection is the only one I know of that is directly related to a vision of a saint - but I would be happy to enlightened if there are more.

Re the meaning of the stars on icons of the Theotokos. There are almost always three stars: a star on each shoulder and one on her forehead - though one of these stars may be obscured by the Christ child. They are signs of her perpetual virginity - before, during, and after giving birth to Christ.
 
ConstantineTG said:
As long as people don’t act as if what has been said at those apparitions are dogma, we’re fine with it. There has been some notable apparitions in the East as well…

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercession_of_the_Theotokos
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that jogs the memory I remember that they call their apperitions theotokos and not our lady of X

I remember some of these apparitions if not all of them have a star on mary’s forehead this may help you look for some of them.
 
BVMFatima said:
If possible, can you name some so I can look into it?
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Here are a few to begin with:

Our Lady of Zeitoun: youtube.com/watch?v=nMEWxRB-1dc (Coptic Orthodox)

zeitun-eg.org/zeitoun1.htm

Our Lady of Soufanieh: Apparitions and miraculous icon soufanieh.com/ (Melkite Catholic)

Our Lady of Litmanova: litmanova.net/

Our Lady of Hrushiv: youtube.com/watch?v=SdRMUNPCIYE (this video was made before the collapse of communism in the USSR) skip to 9:25

catholicrevelations.org/PR/josyp%20terelya.htm
 
catholictiger said:
that jogs the memory I remember that they call their apperitions theotokos and not our lady of X

I remember some of these apparitions if not all of them have a star on mary’s forehead this may help you look for some of them.
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Thetokos is the title of Mary, just as Christ is the title of Jesus.
 
catholictiger said:
that jogs the memory I remember that they call their apperitions theotokos and not our lady of X

I remember some of these apparitions if not all of them have a star on mary’s forehead this may help you look for some of them.
Click to expand...
Apparitions really don’t play a major role in our liturgical or spiritual life, and we don’t call our apparitions “Theotokos”. Theotokos is just a Greek title of Mary, meaning “The God-Bearer”, sometimes also translated as “The Birth-giver of God” or “Mother of God.” We refer to her frequently under that title.

The OP is correct about us having a deep devotion to her. After all, we sing a hymn at every Divine Liturgy and in other services where she is called “More honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim!”

As I also wrote above, icons of the Theotokos almost always have three stars: a star on each shoulder and one on her forehead. The stars represent her perpetual virginity: before, during, and after giving birth. But sometimes one of the stars may be obscure by the figure of Christ in her arms. The stars have nothing to do with appartions.

From the OPs question, it seems like he/she may be under the impression than icons of the Theotokos generally depict someone’s vision of her - but this really isn’t the case, except for the icon of the Holy Protection I mentioned above.
 
Symeon said:
Apparitions really don’t play a major role in our liturgical or spiritual life, and we don’t call our apparitions “Theotokos”. Theotokos is just a Greek title of Mary, meaning “The God-Bearer”, sometimes also translated as “The Birth-giver of God” or “Mother of God.” We refer to her frequently under that title.

The OP is correct about us having a deep devotion to her. After all, we sing a hymn at every Divine Liturgy and in other services where she is called “More honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim!”

As I also wrote above, icons of the Theotokos almost always have three stars: a star on each shoulder and one on her forehead. The stars represent her perpetual virginity: before, during, and after giving birth. But sometimes one of the stars may be obscure by the figure of Christ in her arms. The stars have nothing to do with appartions.

From the OPs question, it seems like he/she may be under the impression than icons of the Theotokos generally depict someone’s vision of her - but this really isn’t the case, except for the icon of the Holy Protection I mentioned above.
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wonderful thanks 👍
 
Symeon said:
Apparitions really don’t play a major role in our liturgical or spiritual life, and we don’t call our apparitions “Theotokos”. Theotokos is just a Greek title of Mary, meaning “The God-Bearer”, sometimes also translated as “The Birth-giver of God” or “Mother of God.” We refer to her frequently under that title.

The OP is correct about us having a deep devotion to her. After all, we sing a hymn at every Divine Liturgy and in other services where she is called “More honorable than the Cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim!”

As I also wrote above, icons of the Theotokos almost always have three stars: a star on each shoulder and one on her forehead. The stars represent her perpetual virginity: before, during, and after giving birth. But sometimes one of the stars may be obscure by the figure of Christ in her arms. The stars have nothing to do with appartions.

From the OPs question, it seems like he/she may be under the impression than icons of the Theotokos generally depict someone’s vision of her - but this really isn’t the case, except for the icon of the Holy Protection I mentioned above.
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I don’t know what rite you are but I sat through a liturgy (evening prayer) of Byzantine Rite and I remember them having an image of Mary and an Image of Jesus on the alter and they did something which showed their worship of both images. I’m sure importance of may varies in the eastern churches.
 
No worship. The three stars aspect is right though.

Interesting article here though…

On June 11, 980A.D. as a group of monks were conducting an all-night vigil before the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary, they suddenly noticed a monk standing on the right of the icon whom they did not recognise at all. He was unknown to the monks, and no one could explain his abrupt presence. This unidentified monk began to chant the beautiful hymn written by St. Cosmas, but rather began with the words “Axion Esti os Alethos Makarizin Se Tin Theotokon” which means “It is very meet to bless Thee, Theotokos the ever blessed and most pure Virgin and Mother of God.” The monk then explained to the others that he was the Arch- angel Gabriel and that these words should be added to the hymn. The Arch-angel then vanished from their sight, leaving the monks amazed at the power of God. Since that day on June 11, 980 A.D. the additional words to the hymn of St. Cosmas have been sung by all Orthodox Christians around the world. The icon of the Blessed Mother Axion Esti is still venerated today in the Cathedral of Mt. Athos … .Fr G. Poulos
 
catholictiger said:
I don’t know what rite you are but I sat through a liturgy (evening prayer) of Byzantine Rite and I remember them having an image of Mary and an Image of Jesus on the alter and they did something which showed their worship of both images. I’m sure importance of may varies in the eastern churches.
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Perhaps there were icons of Christ and the Theotokos on either side of the altar, taking the place of a missing iconostasis, at this vespers service? Not sure what you mean in saying they did something which “showed their worship of both images.” In the Byzantine rite (nor in any rite) do we worship images. Perhaps you saw people bowing to them and kissing them. This is veneration and not worship that is due to God alone. As St. Basil said, veneration of icons “passes to the prototype” - to the person they represent.
 
Symeon said:
Perhaps there were icons of Christ and the Theotokos on either side of the altar, taking the place of a missing iconostasis, at this vespers service? Not sure what you mean in saying they did something which “showed their worship of both images.” In the Byzantine rite (nor in any rite) do we worship images. Perhaps you saw people bowing to them and kissing them. This is veneration and not worship that is due to God alone. As St. Basil said, veneration of icons “passes to the prototype” - to the person they represent.
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this is what a meant to say yes. sorry for the confusion. They venerated the images.

it was a vespers service
 
Remember that in Byzantine faith, Mary is always in the context of Christ. It is very rare for her to have an icon without Christ (usually with icons that depicts events rather than just a depiction of the person).
 
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