Errol Brown from Hot Chocolate was happy enough to proclaim that he believes in miracles, and so are many Catholics across the world. There are plenty of sites where incredible miracles are said to have happened. Some of these bizarre phenomena have alternative explanations, but it doesn’t stop millions of pilgrims and worshippers flocking to them every year.
Whether you believe or not, these sites provide an incredible – if somewhat odd – experience.
Catholic miracle sites – Tepeyac
Where? Mexico
In 1531, an indigenous Mexican called Juan Diego claimed that he had been visited by an apparition of the Virgin Mary (known as Our Lady of Guadalupe) on Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City.
In order to prove he was telling the truth, the figure told Juan Diego to pick some flowers from the top of the hill and take them to the bishop.
He did just that, and found roses that wouldn’t normally be there at that time of year, the Virgin arranged them in his tilma (a cloak/ apron). When he presented them to the bishop, the image of the Virgin appeared on his tilma.
Art restoration experts have questioned the story, saying that the materials and methods used to make it are consistent with 16th century knowledge and practices. Others point out the similarities with stories about an Aztec goddess at the same site, but others refer to how the cloth has been preserved for almost 500 years and survived a bomb attack.
The hill is now home to the giant Basilica of Guadalupe, which is Catholicism’s second most visited pilgrimage site after the Vatican. Turn up on December 12th, Our Lady’s feast day, and there’s a huge swarm of the faithful to battle through.
Catholic miracle sites – Fatima
Where: Portugal
The Virgin Mary doesn’t half get around, and another famous series of appearances came in 1917 when she presented herself in front of three Portuguese children.
The visitations led the children to do penances, such as wearing tight cords around their wrists and abstaining from drinking water on horribly hot days. The children were also given three secrets, which have ambiguous wording, but supposedly predicted World War II, the Cold War and the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II.
The last ‘act’ of the Lady of Fatima was to produce a ‘miracle’ witnessed by tens of thousands of people in October 1917. The sun appeared to dance and make wildly improbable movements in the sky. Various scientists have tried to explain this with physical explanations, and accounts of what actually happened differ wildly, but it’s undoubted that something bizarre took place.
Fatima today is a major pilgrimage site – especially the field where the apparitions are said to have occurred and the town’s Basilica.
Catholic miracle sites – Lourdes
Where: The French Pyrenees
Arguably the ubiquitous Christ mother’s most famous appearance, however, was at Lourdes in 1858. She popped out and spoke to a peasant girl. She was told to drink water from a spring, build a chapel and have people come in procession.
Well they certainly came. Over five million people visit every year, turning the small town into something of a scrum. Only Paris has more hotels in France.
Many come to bathe in the waters, which have supposed healing properties. Indeed, the Catholic Church has verified 67 separate miracle healings.
For those who think going all that way to get splashed with some water is a bit silly, the huge candlelight processions of devout pilgrims are well worth seeing.
Catholic miracle sites – Bethsaida
Where? Israel
Thought to be the birthplace of St Peter, the recently rediscovered site of Bethsaida is also believed to be where Jesus did a lot of his teaching and performed many miracles. The feeding of the 5000 was believed to have taken place nearby (and, indeed is commemorated by the Church of the Loaves and Fishes in Tabgha), for instance.
Most intriguingly, it was where Jesus supposedly walked on water, out to a boat on the Sea of Galilee. There are a lot of explanations for how this may have been possible – platforms submerged just below the water, a sheet of thin ice and inaccurate reporting are just some of them.
Bethsaida is still largely an archaeological site, but Christian-themed tours of it and the surrounding area are available.
The ‘sea’ is actually a freshwater lake, known to Israelis as Lake Kinneret, and while the millions of visitors each year haven’t managed to replicate the walking on water trick, many of them choose to be baptised in the lake.
Catholic miracle sites – San Giovanni Rotondo
Where: Puglia, Southern Italy
It’s impossible to overemphasise how much Italian Catholics love Padre Pio, a Capuchin monk who died in 1968 and was canonised in 2002.
What used to be a small monastic settlement at San Giovanni Rotondo has now been transformed into a tacky tourist experience that makes the Leaning Tower of Pisa’s merchandising stalls look like a model of restraint. Hundreds of thousands visit every year to see Padre Pio’s body in the Padre Pio Pilgrimage church, which has a 6,500 capacity.
As for the miracles? Well, he reportedly cured a boy from meningitis after a visitation, and there are whole hosts of people who claim to have got better from severe conditions after a blessing. The placebo effect may come into play here, but it’s an undeniably good track record.
Most famously of all, however, Pio suffered from stigmata – bleeding marks of the nails on the cross on his hands. Some have accused Pio of faking this using acid and perfume to give a “divine odour”.
This article was originally written for Ninemsn.
Copyright David Whitley
