Liturgical recognition by placing celebration of the apparition on the Church's official liturgical calendar. It is for those who don't believe in apparitions or miracles that this is written. It is only designed to be an overview - a brief walk through the myriad of reports, pamphlets, books and narratives that are available on the phenomenon of Marian apparitions. There is an Appendix included that catalogues a number of sources for a more in-depth examination of Mary's appearances for those who are interested. Every attempt has been made to reduce the jargon and latinate verbiage that typically occurs in discussions of Mary's appearances.
Visionaries describe the person in the vision as seeming to be a real, three-dimensional body.
Locution - supernatural words perceived in the mind of the visionary in a clear and distinct message. Ecstasy - a spiritual state which causes the visionary to loose all sense of time and location. In this state, the visionary does not respond normally to any external, physical stimuli. Stigmata - the visible manifestation of the wounds incurred by Jesus Christ during his Passion and Crucifixion on the body of the visionary. These wounds actually bleed, usually on Fridays, and cause considerable pain to the individual who experiences them.