Meet Some Shrine Pilgrims

Kathlene (left), Chelby (middle), and Maria (right), during their visit to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy.

 

By Owen Farley

Every day, people from around the globe come to the National Shrine of The Divine Mercy — people like Kathleen, Chelby, and Maria, from Aragua, Venezuela. 

Maria says this isn’t her group’s first time here, but they chose to come up again for the fall because of the beautiful New England foliage and scenery surrounding the Shrine. 

Why all the way from Venezuela? 

“Our deep devotion to Divine Mercy,” Maria replied. 

How did this devotion come about? 

“It came from my mother, Maria Esperanza de Bianchini,” Maria said.

Yes, that Maria Esperanza — one of the visionaries who purportedly saw Our Lady in Betania, Venezuela, in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1987, the apparitions at Betania received local approval by the diocesan bishop.

Esperanza was born in Venezuela on Nov. 22, 1928. As a child, she reportedly saw an apparition of St. Therese of Lisieux, the “Little Flower,” and henceforth the scent of roses would hover about Maria. 

As she grew into a young adult, she desired to be a nun but claimed the Blessed Virgin Mary told her she was to marry and would be blessed with seven children. This came to fruition when she wed her husband, Geo Bianchini, and over the years gave birth to six daughters and one son. In 1974, Maria and Geo bought land and a home in the village of Betania, which they designated as a place of worship. Two years later, Maria was in Italy when the Blessed Virgin Mary allegedly told her to return to the land she had bought, for Mary was to appear there. 

Maria obeyed, and on March 25, 1974, the Feast of the Annunciation, the Virgin Mary allegedly appeared to her, calling herself “Reconciler of Peoples and Nations.” This became the start of an alleged series of apparitions.

In the months following the apparitions, hundreds of people came to Betania where they saw the Blessed Virgin appearing as a luminous light or as a statue-like figure in the sky. The alleged events drew the attention of the local bishop, Pio Bello, who had a Ph.D. in psychology. He began an investigation into the legitimacy of these apparitions. Bishop Pio personally interviewed several hundred eyewitnesses of the alleged apparitions and took nearly 500 written testimonies from those who had claimed to see it. The bishop also met with Esperanza and reported that he observed the stigmata of her hands. He even allegedly received his own miracle when he fully recovered from a long-time illness after meeting with Esperanza. 

After much deliberation, he took the case to Rome where he reported his findings to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, as well as Pope John Paul II. Bishop Pio would go on to declare Betania “sacred ground” and officially report that the findings there were authentic and of a divine nature. He was supported by 35 out of 37 bishops of Venezuela. 
    
Maria Esperanza faithfully served God her entire life, until her death in 2004. On July 31, 2010, Bishop Paul Bootkoski of the Diocese of Metuchen, New Jersey, officially opened the case for Esperanza’s beatification and canonization (Esperanza had died in New Jersey). She has henceforth received the title of “Servant of God.” Esperanza’s parting message to the world was that there would soon be “a great day of light, where Jesus will illuminate all our hearts.” She tells us not to fear, but to trust in God and to continually follow His Word. No public judgment has yet been rendered on her heroic virtue or the orthodoxy of her writings. The Catholic World Report has reported that the Vatican commission that studied the theology of Esperanza’s teaching “has concluded its work, declaring that there are no errors.”

Her daughter says, “Divine Mercy is the most important quality of Jesus because we are in very serious times. We need His mercy now more than ever, and we need to be taking advantage of it.” 

Maria also said she came to the Shrine to pray for the many sick people in Venezuela, as well as for their liberation, and humbly asks our readers to join her in that prayer. The Venezuelan people are facing very tumultuous times now, as there has been a large power struggle, leaving the nation torn. Let’s pray for their peace, safety, and freedom. 

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LAMDVD

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