Do Catholics have to believe in Marian apparitions?

Glad You Asked

Some of the most popular and well-known Catholic pilgrimage sites are places where Mary the Mother of Jesus is believed to have appeared to people. Every year, millions travel to Fatima in Portugal and Lourdes in France. The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe near Mexico City sees around 20 million pilgrims a year. And the site of the claimed apparitions at Medjugorje, though controversial, still attracts huge numbers of visitors.

These, however, are only a few out of hundreds of cases of claimed apparitions. Of these hundreds, some are approved by the church and others aren’t. But what does that mean? Are Catholics obliged to believe an approved apparition actually happened, if the church approved it? If there is a message associated with an approved apparition, do Catholics have to assent to it? And, if an apparition is not approved, does that mean Catholics aren’t allowed to believe in it?

These questions invoke another, larger question: What’s the point of Marian apparitions anyway? Why do people flock to these pilgrimage sites? And on the level of popular devotion, what do Marian apparitions have to offer to those seeking meaning or comfort in an uncertain world?

On this episode of the podcast, guest Jeanette Rodriguez talks about whether Catholics are obliged to believe in Marian apparitions, the role of these devotions in Catholics’ faith lives, and why they continue to be so popular over the ages. Rodriguez is a professor at Seattle University and teaches in both the department of theology and religious studies, and the couples and family therapy program. She serves as director of the Institute for Catholic Thought and Culture and has written on U.S. Hispanic theology, women’s spirituality, liberation theology, and Our Lady of Guadalupe.

You can read more about this topic in these links. “Why do Catholics venerate Mary?” by Kevin Considine https://uscatholic.org/articles/201405/why-do-catholics-venerate-mary/

“The gift of Guadalupe,” a U.S. Catholic interview https://uscatholic.org/articles/201112/the-gift-of-guadalupe/

“Our Lady of Guadalupe is a missionary of mercy,” by Timothy Matovina https://uscatholic.org/articles/201612/our-lady-of-guadalupe-is-a-missionary-of-mercy/

“A 7-year-old’s pilgrimage to Fatima,” by Molly Jo Rose https://uscatholic.org/articles/201705/a-7-year-olds-pilgrimage-to-fatima/

“Keeping up appearances,” by Mary Catt https://uscatholic.org/articles/200807/keeping-up-appearances/

Glad You Asked is sponsored by the Claretian Missionaries. https://www.claretians.org/