William Penn Profile picture
Sep 1 10 tweets 4 min read Read on X
Across history, the Virgin Mary has appeared with urgent messages for the world.

Some left miracles, others warnings, and all changed lives forever.

The 7 most powerful Marian apparitions 🧵: Image
In 1531, a poor peasant named Juan Diego saw a Lady on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico.

She left her image on his tilma; a miraculous cloth that science cannot explain.

Within a decade, 9 million converted to the faith.

(Our Sunday Visitor; Smithsonian) Image
In 1858, 14-year-old Bernadette Soubirous saw a Lady in a grotto at Lourdes, France.

The Lady identified herself: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

Since then, millions of pilgrims have come for its healing spring.

(Vatican; Lourdes Sanctuary) Image
In 1917, three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, saw a Lady of light.

She warned of world war, persecution, and Russia’s errors.

On October 13, 70,000 witnessed the “Miracle of the Sun,” the sky spinning and plunging.

(Vatican; BBC) Image
Image
In 1973, Sr. Agnes Sasagawa in Akita, Japan, saw a Lady who spoke of global chastisement.

A wooden statue wept human tears, tested and verified by scientists.

Then-Cardinal Ratzinger affirmed the messages were authentic.

(CNA; Vatican) Image
In 1981, a Rwandan schoolgirl fell into a trance. The Virgin told her of rivers of blood.

Others joined her visions. The warnings foretold the genocide of 1994.

The Church has fully approved Kibeho.

(Vatican; National Catholic Register) Image
In 1846, two children in the French Alps saw a weeping Lady.

She warned of famine, war, and loss of faith if people did not return to God.

The apparition is officially approved. Our lady of Salette.

(Vatican; Catholic News Agency) Image
In 1664, a shepherd girl named Benoîte Rencurel saw a Lady in the Alps.

The apparitions continued for 54 years, the longest in history.

Countless conversions and healings followed. Our Lady of Laus.

(Vatican; Catholic News Agency) Image
From Guadalupe to Kibeho, each apparition carried a similar core message:

Repent. Pray. Return to Christ.

And always:
“My Son lets Himself be touched.” Image
What Marian apparition resonates with you most?

Follow @penn_williamE for more Catholic threads!

Finishing up my second YouTube video (videos are harder than threads...), link to my channel is on my X profile. Subscribe to not miss it!
God bless.

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with William Penn

William Penn Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @penn_williamE

Aug 29
In 1871, the Prussian army marched toward a French village.

Then came the General's sudden words:
“We can go no farther. There is an invisible Madonna barring the way.”

This is what happened at Pontmain🧵: Image
Image
The Franco-Prussian War had devastated France. By January 1871, Paris was under siege.

The Prussian army pushed deeper into western France, nearing the small village of Pontmain. Panic set in.

(Hilaire, Notre-Dame de Pontmain, 1872) Image
On the evening of January 17, two brothers, Eugène (12) and Joseph Barbedette (10), noticed a Lady above their family’s barn.

She wore a dark blue robe studded with golden stars, a black veil, and a crown of light. She smiled but said nothing.

(Abbaye Saint-Pierre de Solesmes, 1872 report)Image
Read 11 tweets
Aug 26
1664. The French Alps. A shepherd girl sees a Lady she cannot explain.

For 54 years the vision continued, becoming the longest Vatican approved Marian apparition in history.

The miraculous story of Our Lady of Laus: Image
Her name was Benoîte Rencurel, a 17-year-old orphan tending sheep near the village of Laus.

She was uneducated but deeply prayerful. One day she saw a woman of radiant beauty holding a child, surrounded by light.

(Vatican, 2008 Laus decree) Image
The Lady revealed herself as the Virgin Mary.

She asked that a chapel be built in Laus where sinners could find reconciliation and healing.

“Here I want many conversions.”

(Bishop of Gap, Approval Decree, 2008) Image
Read 10 tweets
Aug 25
The soldier who pierced Christ’s side.
Blinded by sin, healed by blood.

Rome tried to silence him, he preached Christ until his martyrdom.

The astonishing life and faith of St. Longinus: Image
At Calvary, a Roman centurion thrust his spear into Christ’s side.

Blood and water poured forth, signs of Baptism and Eucharist (John 19:34).

This soldier would later be remembered as Longinus. Image
Scripture says he was the first to confess: “Truly this was the Son of God.” (Mark 15:39)

The name “Longinus” appears in the 4th-century Gospel of Nicodemus and was preserved in Christian tradition (apocryphal writings). Image
Read 11 tweets
Aug 19
In modern times we reduce “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone” to “don’t judge.”

But the Church Fathers saw more: the clash of Law, justice, and Mercy—Christ bending down to write the verdict.

Here’s the true meaning 🧵: Image
St. Augustine: “Two were left—misery and mercy.”

The woman stood for fallen humanity.

Christ alone was righteous to condemn, yet chose to reveal God’s mercy instead.
(Tractates on John 33.5 Image
Why did Christ stoop and write in the dust?

St. Ambrose said it recalled God’s own finger inscribing the Law on stone tablets.

The same divine hand now confronts sin with mercy. (On Repentance 2.7.56) Image
Read 8 tweets
Aug 19
In the 700s, a priest in Italy doubted the Eucharist.

Then Host turned to literal flesh, the wine to blood.

Centuries later, scientists examined the relics and found what science still cannot explain.

The Miracle of Lanciano 🧵:Image
Image
The miracle took place in Lanciano, Italy.
The priest, struggling with unbelief, raised the Host at consecration.

Before the eyes of the congregation, it became heart tissue.

The chalice of wine became real blood.

(Source: EWTN, St. Michael’s Center) Image
The blood clotted into 5 pellets.

The flesh—thin and round—looked like heart muscle.
These relics were preserved openly for over 1,200 years, and today rest in Lanciano’s Church of St. Francis.

(Source: Vatican, St. Michael’s Center) Image
Read 13 tweets
Aug 18
Many don’t realize the scrutiny saints faced before canonization.

Before declared a saint, they stood trial.

At its heart was the “Devil’s Advocate”—an official arguing their soul belonged in hell, not heaven.

The strange history of the Advocatus Diaboli.

A Thread 🧵👇:Image
The role was created in 1587 by Pope Sixtus V. Officially called the Promoter of the Faith, he was soon nicknamed the “Devil’s Advocate.”

His duty: to oppose canonization, exposing every flaw and questioning every miracle.

(Catholic Encyclopedia, 1907) Image
This was no formality.

The Devil’s Advocate cross-examined witnesses, scoured a candidate’s past for sin, and tested miracles with merciless skepticism.

As one historian put it: “He was the voice of doubt in a sea of devotion.”

(Woodward, Making Saints, 1990) Image
Read 8 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(