CV NEWS FEED// The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith has approved devotion to Our Lady of Montichiari (Maria Rosa Mystica), according to the Vatican’s new norms for discerning supernatural phenomena.
Mary Mystical Rose appeared in 1947 and in 1966 to an Italian woman named Pierina Gilli in Fontanella, near Montichiari in Northern Italy, according to Vatican News. The apparition is also known as Our Lady of Montichiara, the Madonna of Fontanelle, and Mother of the Church.
As the new norms dictate, the apparitions were evaluated based on whether their messages aligned with Church doctrine, rather than whether or not the apparitions were supernatural. Specifically, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith “found no elements in the messages disseminated by Pierina Gilli that contradict the teachings of the Catholic Church on faith and morals.”
The Dicastery noted that Pierina Gilli’s writings show a humility and deep trust in both the Blessed Mother and Our Lord, “exemplified by her appreciation of the new liturgy,” and that her “writings do not exhibit vanity, self-sufficiency, or pride.” Gilli wrote of Our Lord,
In looking at him I felt strongly attracted to him, to love him: so good, beautiful, merciful! I have no words to express what made my soul be captured by him!… [the Lord said:] ‘Always keep your gaze fixed on Me to scrutinize and guess what I want from you, that is, I wish to totally possess your faculties so that you can always perform actions inspired by My Love.’
However, the Dicastery also cautions that some of Gilli’s language concerning Our Lady needs clarification. She calls Our Lady, “Mary Redemption” (‘Maria Redenzione’) and “Mary of Grace.” As long as the faithful understand that Our Lord is the sole redeemer and the bestower of grace, with His Mother acting as an intercessor, these statements align with Church doctrine.
The Dicastery also notes that Our Lady’s call to prayer, sacrifice, and penance are not “a universal message for all believers. Instead, the central message of the Gospel remains charity, as emphasized throughout the New Testament.”
