So I was driving on I-10 this weekend in South Louisiana when I saw a billboard advertising this event. The sign simply said “Apparitions of Mary: July 1-5″ and left an internet address. I didn’t know what it was. I thought that there was probably some sort of traveling museum exhibit on Marian visions or something similar.
But no. It is actually a list of scheduled appearances by the BVM in Birmingham, AL. It even gets you the time of day they will happen. Since this was on a billboard, I’m guessing it had been up for at least a month or so.
The site goes on to give some rules of conduct. It says that distractions “inhibit grace.” They “block sacrifice.” They “result in a loss of grace one could have received.”
And should you be so daring as to violate the rules, you will be found out. “Our Lady answers any objections to these rules, to be allowed on the Caritas grounds, by appearing on a rock strewn mountain in Medjugorje which is difficult to walk up, much less sit down comfortably once you are at the apparition site.”
This is, as far as I can tell, for real (not for real for real, but folks really believe it). Mary shows up in Alabama on a semi-regular basis. The site says that it also happens daily in Bosnia. And if it is real, then it is a good look into “the real thing” of Roman Cathlicism. Sorry, there’s no Liccione stuff here. This is all Arturo’s world.
::shakes head::
Caritas receives $1,200,000 per year, Terry Colefrancesco can put up a lot of bill boards for that!!!
http://www.al.com/news/birminghamnews/metro.ssf?/base/news/124678172686800.xml&coll=2
Oddly enough, I never liked Medjugore. I had a good friend who was somewhat into it once. Nor do I like the idea of the Virgin Mary just showing up on a whim. Actually, that is not all that traditional. Bleeding and crying statues on the other hand…
Arturo,
Do you like Lourdes and Fatima, and are they traditional?
I like Lourdes, precisely because the Virgin didn’t say anything other than “Je suis l’Immaculee Conception”, and the Virgin heals people there.
Fatima is not my cup of tea: a lot of weird things going on there: secrets, prophecies, children having visions of souls falling into hell like snowflakes. The thing about Catholicism is that we are a big enough Church to allow you to ignore things you might think iffy. Some people like Fatima because it promotes the rosary; I tend to steer clear of prophecy. The hierarchy says it is permissible to believe in it, and the last Pope swore by it. I leave it alone; it certainly isn’t de fide.
Very disturbing information about what EWTN television, priests of Medjugorje parish and former members living for many years in the community and their closest relatives had to say regarding Caritas of Birmingham and Terry Colafrancesco are here:
http://www.medjugorje.ws/en/articles/caritas-of-birmingham/
There are many reasons to consider Caritas of Birmingham being a cult:
http://www.medjugorje.ws/en/articles/a-friend-of-medjugorje-terry-colafrancesco-cult-leader-caritas-of-birmingham/