Great Apparitions of Mary: An Examination of Twenty-Two Supranormal Appearances
Sightings of Mary have become one of the popular religious attractions in contemporary culture. In her book, Swain examines the 22 most famous sightings of the Holy Mother, from the 1531 vision of the Virgin in Guadeloupe, Mexico, to the more recent apparitions of Mary in Medjugorje. While Swain offers a marvelous overview of the circumstances surrounding these apparitions, she also explores the historical stance taken by the Roman Catholic Church toward such apparitions. According to Swain, the message of Mary to her audiences in these sightings appears to be the same in every apparition?pray, repent and seek peace or face a horrific and violent time on this earth. Swain's reports on the thousands that flock to sights where Mary has appeared, and on the attempts to record the apparition of Mary on film, make for an interesting case study in the psychology of belief.Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.