Final Apparition in Litmanova?
Every first Sunday of the month from the first apparation of the Virgin Mary five years ago (August 1990), the girls to whom the Virgin Mary appeared have given her message to the faithful. At the time of the most recent apparition (Sunday August 6, 1995), the Mother of God announced that this was her last appearance.
Below is the chronology of the apparitions.
Wondrous News From Litmanova
It has been over two years now that the Blessed Mother has allegedly appeared to two young girls, Ivetka and Katka, in a small town in north central Slovakia; Litmanova. This village inhabited by only a few hundred families is almost entirely Greek Catholic. In the United States, these Greek Catholic faithful are called Byzantine Catholics and are divided ecclesiastically according to national groups: Carpatho-Rusyn, Ukrainian, Melkite, Russian, Hungarian, Rumanian, etc. The Byzantine Catholics are in full communion with the Pope in Rome and the Catholic Church.
Thee two teenaged girls allegedly receive visits and messages from the Blessed Mother on every first Sunday of the month, which falls after the first Friday. The Blessed Mother allegedly appeared to them for the very first time inside of a tiny hut at the top of Zvir mountain, a peak on the outskirts of Litmanova (see map). The Greek Catholics who live here are of Carpatho-Rusyn nationality and speak a language called Rusyn. They also speak and understand Slovak.
During these apparitions the Virgin Mary encourages the youths to attend Church services. She asks them to offer sacrifices combined with prayers in reparation for their sins, the sins of Slovakia, and the sins of the world. When the girls asked how she called herself, she replied: I am "Untainted Purity."
The apparitions allegedly began in August 1990 and still continue to this day. The Sunday of the apparition begins with a procession lead by the two teens from in front of the village church up to the mountainside chanting hymns and reciting the rosary. Once they are inside the little hut on the summit, the begin saying Our Fathers, Hail Mary's and the Golden Our Father (see prayer section). Once again they recite the Holy Rosary. It is typically during the recitation of the Rosary that the Virgin Mary appears and joins the young ladies in prayer. She then speaks with them at the conclusion of the prayers. Then after she leaves them the Divine Liturgy is celebrated by the parish priest. After the Liturgy the girls announce the message of the Blessed Mother over the microphone to all those gathered.
Afterwards the pilgrims are free to go over to the source of water which the Blessed Mother has blessed and draw water to carry home for spiritual healing.
The Diocese of Presov is investigating the validity of this apparition. We await and submit to the authority of the Catholic Church.
Here follows the history of this apparition in the simple words of these two young girls:
The Messages of the Blessed Mother
"I am Untainted Purity, help me to preserve a pure heart!"
On September 8, 1991 the microphone fell silent, which the Litmanova's visionaries Katka Ceselkova and Ivetka Korcakova had announced to the pilgrims their encounters with the Blessed Mother and her spiritual messages. The Bishop's Commission, founded with the purpose of examining the messages of the Mother of God interpreted by the girls, interfered with the publication of these messages. Today, after ending this restriction, we publish the messages of all apparitions which occurred between September 1991 and April 1992. We believe that the Blessed Mother's call for spiritual renewal will be for the reader a desirable and effectual motivation.
On the question of the authenticity of the apparitions, the Greek Catholic Ordinary in Presov, Bishop Jan Hirka wrote (abridged):
"Recently we have received many petitions asking our opinion about the events in Litmanova where it is said that the Blessed Mother appears...Jesus Christ and the Blessed Mother sometimes use individuals to communicate in extraordinary form -- appearing to people -- to call attention to some sacred truth or duties which have been neglected, or in order to avert punishments. This is in our great God's plan which we should with gratitude and willingness receive. But it is also true that through such communications there can rise errors, and from these rise self delusion and fraud, and other traps of evil spirits. Therefore, the church is very attentive in matters of apparitions in order not to make such mistakes in self-delusion or fraud and in order not to mistake such uncertain apparitions. As true apparitions of God. But, through all this, everyone must advance according to their best conscience. If the apparitions are true, the Saviour Himself or the Blessed Mother will take care of the accuracy of their apparitions and then will not be denied forever. I want to stress that at first we must refute and exert a critical attitude which will enable us later on the truth to reveal itself more clearly if this is a genuine supernatural apparition. Speaking about the doubting of St. Thomas, St. Augustine said that he was more a proof of faith than any of the other apostles. And rightfully so for the Saviour Himself acceded to St. Thomas' doubt who can therefore strengthen the faith of weaker people. Bishop Jan Hirka
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, the only begotten, born of the Father before all ages. Light of light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one substance with the Father, through Whom all things were made. Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate from the Holy Spirit and Mary the Virgin, and became man. He was also crucified for us under Pontius Pilate , and suffered, and was buried. And He rose again on the third day, according to the Scriptures. And He ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. And He will come again with glory, to judge the living and the dead, and of His Kingdom there will be no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, Who together with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, Who spoke through the prophets. In one holy, catholic and apostolic Church, I profess one Baptism for the remission of sins. I expect the resurrection of the dead; and the life of the world to come. Amen.
August 5, 1991
We went up to the hillside - Katka Ceselkova, Ivetka Korcakova and Mikulas Ceselka. It was morning about seven o'clock. On the hill we played games all day long, we made a fire and we roasted some bacon and sang. The Liturgy was celebrated in the church at 5:00 p.m., but we did not want to go home to attend so we stayed up on the hill a little longer. At about 6:00 p.m., we heard a crackling sound in the forest near where we had made the fire. The sound was at first soft, then it intensified. We went inside our hut - Ivetka and Mitko lay down on their beds because they were tired. I (Katka) heard a noise as if someone was walking around the hut. I shouted "Ivetka, shut the door, I'm afraid!" We closed the door and then we heard a noise as if someone was rattling something made of tin. The noises became louder and we became so afraid that it took our breath away. After a while we heard yet a stronger knocking as if someone threw a lot of wood down from the high rocky hill. We were terrified! At this time, Mitko told us we should pray because we were afraid as the priest told him that once during a religious class. We prayed the "Our Father" three times, "Hail Mary" and then the "Golden Our Father" three times (these prayers we knew, and Mitko was praying some other prayers.) Suddenly, I (Ivetka), had the feeling to pray "Mary, Our Mother, protect us under your mantle." I prayed it three times (this prayer I had never said before), and then prayed "Guardian Angel"....We started to promise that Katka would begin going to religious class, that she would go to the church and that she would go to holy confession. We were sorry for our sins and at this moment there was a glow but we did not pay attention to this because we thought that it was from the sun. We did not say anything - because we thought it was something from our imagination, or out of fear. We made ourselves a pledge that during this week we would go to church every day! At this moment our fear left. We were sitting on the bed and suddenly a glow appeared in the middle of the room and we saw the Blessed Mother. We tried to see whether this was really her! She sat on the bench and she was listening to us. We were staring at the bench and Katka said "I see the Blessed Mother." "I see her too." said Ivetka. At this moment, we all ran out of the room. We left the place in a hurry, we did not even lock the door, we only ran home. The Blessed Mother followed us on the way, she stayed about two steps behind us. When we turned around, we saw her behind us. She accompanied us to the roadside cross. There, she knelt down and prayed. Then, she went behind us and then she started to gradually disappear. On the way home we were still afraid. I turned to look and I saw the Blessed Mother in front of my house for the last time. Ivetka saw the Blessed Mother in front of her uncle's house. She did not speak to us at the time. She was dressed in white dress, she had on a blue cloak, a blue transparent veil and on her head she wore a crown and in her hand she held a rosary. We returned home frightened. I went to my room and was quiet. Ivetka went home and told her mother about everything. Her mother did not believe her and so they went to Katka's house to ask her whether it was true. We both started to cry because they did not believe us. Ivetka's mother believed a little bit. When Katka's mother went to work the next day, she prayed "Blessed Mother, give me some visible sign that the girls are not lying>" That very evening she had a dream. 'I saw the Blessed Mother with a green garland.' 'I asked her why she had a green garland.' 'She replied "because I am a Virgin and I have a pure heart."' Next I asked her whether it was true what the girls had said. The Blessed Mother relied, "Yes, do not doubt anything, but believe it all." At the end of August, Ivetka, Katka, Mitko, Ivetka's mother and father went up to the hill again. When they got to the hut, only Ivetka, Katka and Mitko went into the room. "We asked our parents to leave us alone." We prayed Our Father and Hail Mary three times, Golden Our Father three times and after that "O Mary, our Mother protect us under your mantle" for three times." We sat on the bed and in a moment we saw a mist and in this we bean to distinguish the outline of the Blessed Mother, but she was hardly visible. She did not speak to us and did not leave any message. She disappeared into the fog and we ran out to tell our parents what we had seen, that it was really the Blessed Mother! Mitko did not see the Blessed Mother, the two of us only saw her -- Katka and Ivetka."
September 30, 1990:
Only Ivetka and a few women were present on the field. "I saw the Blessed Mother and asked her: "Blessed Mother, forgive me all my sins," even though I had gone to confession only two days ago. The Blessed Mother asked me what I would like. I asked her for the health of my mother, her arms and back hurt her. I wished this because next month would be my birthday. The Blessed Mother told me "do not be afraid, your mother will soon be cured because of your tears." At that moment, I began to cry, I felt sorry because the Blessed Mother was crying also and because Katka did not come. (Katka did not keep her promise to go to church and receive confession). She did not fulfill what she had promised the first time. Ivetka was kneeling very stiffly and was staring at the location of the apparition of the Blessed Mother. At this moment, Ivetka's mother opened the door and Ivetka jumped up and caught he mom around the neck and reproached her mother - why did she come and opened the door right at that moment as she begged the Blessed Mother to stay longer with her!
October 1, 1990
Today is the holyday "Protection of the Mother of God." We were both on the field with about 20 men from the village. I (Ivetka), saw the Blessed Mother clearly but Katka saw her in a fog because she had sins on her soul. The Blessed Mother told her to go to confession today in order to be an example to the people. I asked the Blessed Mother to intercede for Sonka S. who was ill. The blessed Mother told me that every illness is a result of sin. Sonka's parents were very materialistic and did not behave as Christians should in many affairs. Only fervent prayers to the Blessed Mother would help cure this child."
October 2, 1990
The two of us girls were on the field with about twenty other girls. We started to pray "Our Father" and "Hail Mary" three times and then the "Golden Our father." We saw the Blessed Mother - she was very happy. She told us that all during the month of October we would not see her, but she would pray for the conversion of sinners, and that she was always with us. I asked her about a deaf and dumb boy and the Blessed Mother told me that his father beat his mother and it was if he had beaten his spiritual Mother. We knew that in the church they were praying the rosary and so we wanted to return home. But the Blessed Mother asked us to stay with her and then we started to pray the rosary together.
After finishing the rosary, we went home but were afraid of passing through the woods. Suddenly, Ivetka shouted that she saw the Blessed Mother near the woods. We prepared for prayer by saying "Mary, our mother, protect us under your mantle" and after the ninth time, the Blessed Mother opened her mantle and she guarded us the whole way home. during the way, we sang and prayed the "Our father." The Blessed Mother accompanied us all the way to the roadside cross.
November 1, 1990
There were about 40 people present and we entered the hut. We prayed in the same way as the first time. Out of the fog, the outline of the Blessed Mother began to appear and gradually the entire shape of the Blessed Mother. She was dressed humbly and she was barefoot. I was wondering why the Blessed Mother was so sad, said Ivetka. The Blessed Mother told me: "I am very sad because Katka did not dedicate to me the entire month of October. She did not pray the rosary every evening in order to repent for her sins." The Blessed Mother asked us to come to the field frequently. I was afraid how I would go to the field when winter would come and the snow begins to fall. The Blessed Mother told me not to be afraid because she never caused injury, only helped. Then, I started to cry and the people in the room with me also cried. We cried because Katka was not sufficiently prepared as of yet, she has insufficiently atoned for her sins. The Blessed Mother wanted to give us a message which we should spread.
November 4, 1990 (Sunday)
We went up to the field where we together prayed the rosary. The Blessed Mother appeared from out of the mist from where she began to make her outline. We asked the Blessed Mother whether there should be a Divine Liturgy offered here. The Blessed Mother told us that the Divine Liturgy should be offered in honor of her Immaculate Heart. There were many people present and we did not feel well. We went to the spring, we washed ourselves and returned. We knelt down again. The Blessed Mother told us that we see her faintly because our hearts were stained with sin. She told us to pray the rosary three times. Then she told us that she had blessed the water from the spring. She wanted all people to take the water from the spring. The Blessed Mother is all pure. She was shining brightly and she told us to turn our faces towards the people. When we did, we saw that all the people have dirty faces and then the Blessed Mother disappeared.
November 11, 1990 (Sunday)
There was a lot of people. We prayed two decades of the rosary and then the Divine Liturgy started. We has an appearance: The Blessed Mother began to form herself out of the mist - first an outline, then totally. She told us that at the deliverance of the message, only two of us and the priests should stay in the room. During the Divine Liturgy, we did not see her - only after we had finished. When the people began to pray, they continued with the holy rosary. We did not hear them because the Blessed Mother appeared again and told us that she could not look at the sins of Slovakia, that her children had a lot of everything but they did not worship her Son and Her. Her son would send a disaster to Slovakia; but if people stoned themselves, and if they would start to pray fervently, the disaster would be postponed. The Blessed Mother was sad and she told us to spread this message all over Slovakia in order for all of Slovakia to come and pray here.
November 19, 1990 (Sunday)
We went to the field and there was a lot of people. On the way up, we prayed and sang. Then, the people began to sing this hymn: "We have made a wreath for you, Mary...." We looked to the side and we saw the Blessed Mother. She had roses around her feet. We climbed higher and then the people sang "Jesus and Mary are coming with us." We looked to the right and we met the Blessed Mother with Jesus in her arms. She was barefoot Jesus was wrapped in a white cloth. Then, we all sang together. When we finished the rosary, we saw the Blessed Mother walking with a rosary. Then we turned around but we did not see her anymore. When we arrived at the place of the apparitions, we knelt down and prayed as always. Then, the Blessed Mother appeared with Jesus in her arms. Jesus was weeping. She gave us a message. She said that there are very few people that sacrifice, that Jesus made Himself a sacrifice for all nations. She gave us a proposal: "Why don't men make sacrifices as Jesus did so many years ago? She told us that people have many material things, they have everything they want and they would even kill each other for it. They only want to get more possessions. Jesus Himself taught us that we should love one another, that we should forgive one another." The Blessed Mother said: " Even if the water in the spring might have some dirt, if anything is immersed in the water, the water is still good." The Blessed Mother told us to spread the message all over Slovakia. Then, she asked us to tell the people not to lie but to tell the truth - and she asked why there were not more people coming to pray with us. One woman came to us and brought us a sheet of paper on which was written that her son had abandoned the faith and how could she return him to believe in God again. The Blessed Mother replied: "Her son became distracted from the faith because he has gone to Prague to pursue his studies, he fell in with a bad group and then he turned bad because he his the fact that he was a Christian from his friends. He did not want to mention it to anyone. He was ashamed to say that he was a Christian." The Blessed Mother said that his mother should pray for him. She should fast and then the Blessed Mother would take care of everything.
One woman asked this request to the Blessed Mother whether she should make sacrifices for her husband who had died, what she should do for his salvation, and how was he doing in the after life? She asked whether some prayers, liturgies or sacrifices were necessary? The Blessed Mother said that "the wife of the dead man should continue praying and that she should give Divine Liturgies. Her husband was doing well there and that she should keep up such a strong faith as she now has."
November 21, 1990:
The Blessed Mother appeared dressed all in white. She wore a beautiful white veil and in her hands a white rosary. She gave a second warning to us. There were very few people present. Jesus sacrificed Himself for all nations. "My children, have so much material things that they even kill one another. My Son Himself preached and taught that men should love one another and forgive one another. But it is not realized here!" We asked her about Danka who was ill. The Blessed Mother told us to bring the child up to the field, to the place of apparitions, not listening as to what people say - oh, what a little child you bring here... "It is necessary to wash the child in the holy spring. Take two to five liters of this water and bathe the child in it. Pray together the holy rosary and make sacrifices for the child."
November 25, 1990:
The Blessed Mother appeared out of the mist, from which we started to see the outline. Later, we saw her clearly in a blue dress with a blue rosary. The crucifix on the rosary had a golden border and was entirely gold. The Blessed Mother appeared kind and gave us a message for the Father (priest) - "Please celebrate the Divine Liturgy here on Sunday. Invite believers from all the parishes. They can come without fear. The Holy Spirit will help them. The Holy Liturgy should be celebrated in honor of My Son and Me. The Blessed Mother then said thank you."
I asked her about Helenka - her leg hurts her. The Blessed Mother gave the message that God allowed a test for her - whether she would turn away from God. If she would pray, then she would be cured. I asked her about a woman who drank. The Blessed Mother said "it was necessary to bring her to the place of apparitions. She must be sober. Let her come into the hut and leave her alone to pray various prayers. All of them will be accepted. Let her wash in the holy spring and she should do it often." After all this, the Blessed Mother gave us the message that her power is strongest on the field, in the hut and near the spring where she can work her miracles.
November 26, 1990:
Ivetka was in school and during a 20 minute break, she saw a very clear brightness and in the center was a heart. She felt a strange feeling later as if she were dizzy. Ivetka said "I returned to the classroom and I took out my rosary and I put it on the table. All of the children assembled around me and asked me to tell them of the apparitions. I sat down and began to speak. It was not my voice, but rather, it seemed to me that someone else was speaking instead of me. Everything rhymed as in a poem. All the children were enthusiastic from this talk even nonbelievers listened to me. They asked me to pray for them, to obtain icons and rosaries, also, to pray for them and for their parents who are disbelievers too. I told the children that the holy rosary has a great power and that no bad spirit would ever overcome it."
We will be adding the remainder of the apparitions on an ongoing basis - check back often!
"Mary, our Mother, hide us beneath your veil."