Catholic Pilgrimage Finder › Saints & Shrines

Approved Marian Apparitions

We list an apparition when there is a formal judgment by the local bishop, in a decree or pastoral letter, or an act of the Holy See that affirms the apparition. Each page names the document and links to it.

Mexico · 1531
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Holy See: the canonization biography (2002) and canonization homily (2002) affirm the apparition. The Holy See, 2002.
France · 1846
Our Lady of La Salette
Bishop's pastoral letter (mandement). Bishop Philibert de Bruillard of Grenoble, 1851.
France · 1858
Our Lady of Lourdes
Bishop's decree. Bishop Bertrand-Sévère Laurence of Tarbes, 1862.
France · 1871
Our Lady of Hope of Pontmain
Bishop's pastoral letter (mandement). Bishop Casimir Wicart of Laval, 1872.
Ireland · 1879
Our Lady of Knock
Holy See: papal message affirming the apparition (2021). No bishop's decree. Pope Francis, 2021.
Portugal · 1917
Our Lady of Fatima
Bishop's pastoral letter. Bishop José Alves Correia da Silva of Leiria, 1930.
Belgium · 1932-1933
Our Lady of Beauraing
Diocesan recognition of supernatural character. Diocese of Namur (Bishop André-Marie Charue), 1949.
Belgium · 1933
Our Lady of Banneux, Virgin of the Poor
Bishop's pastoral letter. Bishop Louis-Joseph Kerkhofs of Liège, 1949.
United States · 1859
Our Lady of Champion (Our Lady of Good Help)
Bishop's decree. Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, 2010.
Rwanda · 1981-1983
Our Lady of Kibeho
Bishop's declaration, published by the Holy See Press Office. Bishop Augustin Misago of Gikongoro, 2001.
France · 1664-1718
Our Lady of Laus
Bishop's decree, with the assent of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Bishop Jean-Michel di Falco Léandri of Gap and Embrun, 2008.

Nihil obstat granted (2024), not a declaration of supernatural origin

In 2024 the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith granted a nihil obstat to the spiritual experience connected with Medjugorje. It authorizes public devotion. The nihil obstat is not a declaration that the events are supernatural, and the faithful are not obliged to believe in them.

Bosnia and Herzegovina · Since 1981
Medjugorje (Queen of Peace)
Nihil obstat from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith (not a declaration of supernatural origin). Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2024.

Not listed

These sites are well known, but they are not on our list. Some are not approved. For others we could not find the judgment in a primary or official source.

Rue du Bac (Paris, 1830). Not listed under our rule. We found no bishop's decree and no act of the Holy See that explicitly affirms the apparition. At the 1947 canonization of St. Catherine Labouré, Pope Pius XII spoke of the Mother of God appearing to her "as it is reported" (comme on le rapporte). In 1980 St. John Paul II prayed in the chapel that Mary "inspired" the Miraculous Medal prayer in St. Catherine "in this same place." The devotion is long-standing: the Diocese of Paris keeps a November 27 celebration of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Congregation for the Clergy (Holy See), The Holy See, dioceseparis.fr
Akita (Japan, 1973). The 1984 pastoral letter of Bishop Ito is reproduced only on third-party sites. We found no official diocesan or Holy See copy. Not verified.
Šiluva (Lithuania, 1608). We found no bishop's judgment and no act of the Holy See affirming the apparition in a primary source. Not verified.
Betania (Venezuela). Approval reported in secondary sources only. Not verified.
Gietrzwałd (Poland, 1877). The 1977 approval is reported, but the shrine's site does not show the decree. Not verified.
San Nicolás de los Arroyos (Argentina). The 2016 decree text was found only on third-party sites. Not verified.
Cuapa (Nicaragua). Approval reported in secondary sources only. Not verified.
Garabandal (Spain). Not approved. Excluded by rule.
Necedah (Wisconsin). Not approved. Excluded by rule.

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