Veronica Lueken
Encyclopedia
Veronica Lueken (July 12, 1923 - August 3, 1995) was a Roman Catholic
housewife who lived in Bayside, New York
. From 1970 until her death, she reported to experience apparitions of the Virgin Mary and numerous Catholic saints. She gave messages from them at both Saint Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church in Bayside, and at the Vatican Pavilion in Flushing Meadows Park (site of the 1964 New York World's Fair
).
Bishop Francis Mugavero
, then Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
, stated in 1986 that "a thorough investigation revealed that the alleged visions of Bayside completely lacked authenticity" and that "the messages and other related propaganda contain statements which, among other things, are contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church," http://www.ewtn.com/Library/NEWAGE/MUGABAY.TXT for example, propounding sedevacantism
.
Lueken reported her first Marian vision in her home on April 7, 1970. The Virgin Mary was reportedly informing her that she would appear on the grounds of the old St. Robert Bellarmine Church in Bayside on June 18, 1970, and subsequently, on all great feast days of the Catholic Church. From that day, Lueken reported a series of Marian apparitions
on the property of St Robert Bellarmine's Roman Catholic Church at Bayside. According to her report, Mary asked her to establish a Marian shrine at the site on April 7, 1970, and to hold Rosary Vigils of reparation and also Sunday holy hours of reparation for the Pope and priests. Mrs. Lueken began to type up and circulate her prophecies, many of which had apocalyptic content.
Overwhelmed by the influx of an estimated five hundred to two thousand Marian devotees, the parish ministers fenced off the church precincts in December 1974. In 1975, Monsignor James King, Chancellor of the Brooklyn Diocese, announced that the diocese did not believe in Veronica's apparitions.
Meanwhile, Lueken elaborated on her reported visions. Apart from the Virgin Mary and the aforementioned Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, she also said she received visitations from Saint Joseph
, Saint Paul
, Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Theresa of Avila, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Bernadette Soubrious
and Saint Robert Bellarmine
, amongst others. The Archangel Michael and the Archangel Gabriel were also said to have appeared to her.
One characteristic in support of Lueken's testimony was that of ecstasy, a high state of prayer and contemplation experienced by many saints in the Church. Most of the public apparitions occurred during the Rosary Vigils. During these Vigils, Lueken would fall into ecstasy where she would then see the Virgin Mary and other heavenly personages. Her exterior modesty and expression would take on characteristics reflecting ecstasy (which was witnessed many times by devotees in her presence). Her eyes would never blink during the time of ecstasy. She would describe the vision given her and repeat what she heard. Almost all of the ecstasies were recorded live on audio tape in the presence of hundreds of pilgrims.
Following the official church rejection, Lueken and her followers then assembled on a traffic island near the site of the alleged visitation (1974/75), until they negotiated a permanent site of worship at Flushing Meadows. The Rosary Vigils and Holy Hours continue here till this day.
She and her followers established Our Lady of the Roses Shrine, which survived her death in 1995. At the apex of this organization were Lueken (President) and her husband, Arthur (Vice President), Mrs. Ann Ferguson (Secretary), and Miss Maurine Ferguson and Mr. Michael Mangan (board members). Accompanying them, a Lay Order of Saint Michael existed to organize prayer vigils and assist the increasingly infirm and aging Lueken in administrative responsibilities associated with corresponding with her followers. Since Lueken described her experiences, other unrecognized Marian apparitions
have occurred in Lubbock, Texas
(1988–1989) and Conyers, Georgia
(1989), and have incorporated similar apocalyptic motifs in their messages.
At some point, Lueken predicted, the authenticity of her visions would be recognized, and there would be a basilica built on the site of her first visions at Bayside, as well as the appearance of a healing spring, and the area would become the venue of a national Marian shrine in the United States.
, made the following declaration on November 4, 1986:
At the Eternal Word Television Network
, Father Mark Gantley, JCL
, has clarified that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document related to "Proceeding in Judging Alleged Apparitions and Revelations" in 1974. Initially, a Diocesan Bishop is enabled to investigate the phenomenon in question. After he has completed his scrutiny, he may or may not ask for assistance from national Catholic Bishops Conferences, or refer the matter to the Holy See
. For further information, consult the entry on Marian apparitions
.
St Michael's World Apostolate claims that the Vatican's guidelines for judging apparitions were not followed by the Brooklyn Diocese, no example of doctrinal error has been produced by the diocese, and claims Lueken was not questioned by the diocese.
Michael Mangan is president of SMWA and head of the lay Order of St. Michael. He joined Lueken's mission in 1978 and from 1989 to 1995 was in daily telephone contact with her. Some in the Bayside movement dispute Mangan and SMWA's authority.
The SWMA claims prophecies may be valid but do not come to pass; Lueken was told over twenty times in the messages that all prophecy is conditional and does not have to happen
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
housewife who lived in Bayside, New York
Bayside, Queens
Bayside is a suburban neighborhood in the borough of Queens in New York, New York in the United States. Bayside is known as one of the most expensive areas to live in Queens, with well kept homes and landscaping...
. From 1970 until her death, she reported to experience apparitions of the Virgin Mary and numerous Catholic saints. She gave messages from them at both Saint Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church in Bayside, and at the Vatican Pavilion in Flushing Meadows Park (site of the 1964 New York World's Fair
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
).
Bishop Francis Mugavero
Francis Mugavero
Francis John Mugavero was the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn...
, then Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, which includes territory that was previously part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, was established as a separate diocese in 1853 when the City of Brooklyn was separate from New York City....
, stated in 1986 that "a thorough investigation revealed that the alleged visions of Bayside completely lacked authenticity" and that "the messages and other related propaganda contain statements which, among other things, are contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church," http://www.ewtn.com/Library/NEWAGE/MUGABAY.TXT for example, propounding sedevacantism
Sedevacantism
Sedevacantism is the position held by a minority of Traditionalist Catholics who hold that the present occupant of the papal see is not truly Pope and that, for lack of a valid Pope, the see has been vacant since the death of either Pope Pius XII in 1958 or Pope John XXIII in 1963.Sedevacantists...
.
Marian apparitions
In June 1968, Lueken reported experiencing her first manifestation when she smelled a perfume of roses in her car while praying for the dying Robert Kennedy. She claimed that Saint Thérèse of Lisieux appeared to her and dictated sacred poem-messages.Lueken reported her first Marian vision in her home on April 7, 1970. The Virgin Mary was reportedly informing her that she would appear on the grounds of the old St. Robert Bellarmine Church in Bayside on June 18, 1970, and subsequently, on all great feast days of the Catholic Church. From that day, Lueken reported a series of Marian apparitions
Marian apparitions
A Marian apparition is an event in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have supernaturally appeared to one or more people. They are often given names based on the town in which they were reported, or on the sobriquet which was given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition...
on the property of St Robert Bellarmine's Roman Catholic Church at Bayside. According to her report, Mary asked her to establish a Marian shrine at the site on April 7, 1970, and to hold Rosary Vigils of reparation and also Sunday holy hours of reparation for the Pope and priests. Mrs. Lueken began to type up and circulate her prophecies, many of which had apocalyptic content.
Overwhelmed by the influx of an estimated five hundred to two thousand Marian devotees, the parish ministers fenced off the church precincts in December 1974. In 1975, Monsignor James King, Chancellor of the Brooklyn Diocese, announced that the diocese did not believe in Veronica's apparitions.
Meanwhile, Lueken elaborated on her reported visions. Apart from the Virgin Mary and the aforementioned Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, she also said she received visitations from Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
, Saint Paul
Paul of Tarsus
Paul the Apostle , also known as Saul of Tarsus, is described in the Christian New Testament as one of the most influential early Christian missionaries, with the writings ascribed to him by the church forming a considerable portion of the New Testament...
, Saint John the Evangelist, Saint Theresa of Avila, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Saint Bernadette Soubrious
Bernadette Soubirous
Saint Marie-Bernarde Soubirous was a miller's daughter born in Lourdes. From 11 February to 16 July 1858, she reported 18 apparitions of "a small young lady" who asked for a chapel to be built at that site at Lourdes....
and Saint Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine was an Italian Jesuit and a Cardinal of the Catholic Church. He was one of the most important figures in the Counter-Reformation...
, amongst others. The Archangel Michael and the Archangel Gabriel were also said to have appeared to her.
One characteristic in support of Lueken's testimony was that of ecstasy, a high state of prayer and contemplation experienced by many saints in the Church. Most of the public apparitions occurred during the Rosary Vigils. During these Vigils, Lueken would fall into ecstasy where she would then see the Virgin Mary and other heavenly personages. Her exterior modesty and expression would take on characteristics reflecting ecstasy (which was witnessed many times by devotees in her presence). Her eyes would never blink during the time of ecstasy. She would describe the vision given her and repeat what she heard. Almost all of the ecstasies were recorded live on audio tape in the presence of hundreds of pilgrims.
Following the official church rejection, Lueken and her followers then assembled on a traffic island near the site of the alleged visitation (1974/75), until they negotiated a permanent site of worship at Flushing Meadows. The Rosary Vigils and Holy Hours continue here till this day.
She and her followers established Our Lady of the Roses Shrine, which survived her death in 1995. At the apex of this organization were Lueken (President) and her husband, Arthur (Vice President), Mrs. Ann Ferguson (Secretary), and Miss Maurine Ferguson and Mr. Michael Mangan (board members). Accompanying them, a Lay Order of Saint Michael existed to organize prayer vigils and assist the increasingly infirm and aging Lueken in administrative responsibilities associated with corresponding with her followers. Since Lueken described her experiences, other unrecognized Marian apparitions
Marian apparitions
A Marian apparition is an event in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have supernaturally appeared to one or more people. They are often given names based on the town in which they were reported, or on the sobriquet which was given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition...
have occurred in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
(1988–1989) and Conyers, Georgia
Conyers, Georgia
Conyers is the only city in Rockdale County, Georgia, USA. It is twenty-four miles east of Atlanta. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,689. Census estimates of 2005 indicate a population of 12,205. The city is the county seat of Rockdale County. By 2009, the reported population was...
(1989), and have incorporated similar apocalyptic motifs in their messages.
At some point, Lueken predicted, the authenticity of her visions would be recognized, and there would be a basilica built on the site of her first visions at Bayside, as well as the appearance of a healing spring, and the area would become the venue of a national Marian shrine in the United States.
Status of the apparitions
According to various Catholic sources, the Bayside visitations do not fulfill criteria that would qualify the alleged events as legitimate Marian apparitions and so are unrecognized. In addition to these concerns, the Diocesan Bishop of Brooklyn at the time of the alleged apparitions, Bishop Francis MugaveroFrancis Mugavero
Francis John Mugavero was the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn...
, made the following declaration on November 4, 1986:
I, the undersigned Diocesan Bishop of Brooklyn, in my role as the legitimate shepherd of this particular Church, wish to confirm the constant position of the Diocese of Brooklyn that a thorough investigation revealed that the alleged "visions of Bayside" completely lacked authenticity.
...Therefore, in consultation with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, I hereby declare that:
1. No credibility can be given to the so-called "apparitions" reported by Veronica Lueken and her followers.
2. The "messages" and other related propaganda contain statements which, among other things, are contrary to the teachings of the Catholic Church, undermine the legitimate authority of bishops and councils and instill doubts in the minds of the faithful, for example, by claiming that, for years, an "imposter (sic) Pope" governed the Catholic Church in place of Paul VI.
At the Eternal Word Television Network
Eternal Word Television Network
The Eternal Word Television Network is an American cable television network which presents Catholic-themed programming. It was founded in 1980 by Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, PCPA...
, Father Mark Gantley, JCL
JCL
JCL may refer to:Business:*Juniperus Capital Limited, a Bermuda-based hedge fundComputing:* Job Control Language, a scripting language used on IBM mainframe operating systems* Java Class Library* Java Constraints Library...
, has clarified that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a document related to "Proceeding in Judging Alleged Apparitions and Revelations" in 1974. Initially, a Diocesan Bishop is enabled to investigate the phenomenon in question. After he has completed his scrutiny, he may or may not ask for assistance from national Catholic Bishops Conferences, or refer the matter to the Holy See
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
. For further information, consult the entry on Marian apparitions
Marian apparitions
A Marian apparition is an event in which the Blessed Virgin Mary is believed to have supernaturally appeared to one or more people. They are often given names based on the town in which they were reported, or on the sobriquet which was given to Mary on the occasion of the apparition...
.
St Michael's World Apostolate claims that the Vatican's guidelines for judging apparitions were not followed by the Brooklyn Diocese, no example of doctrinal error has been produced by the diocese, and claims Lueken was not questioned by the diocese.
These Last Days Ministries
Among the first websites to appear in support and to promote Lueken's messages was These Last Days Ministries , which had a weekly radio show promoting the messages. The TLDM website contains most of the messages given to Veronica Lueken in audio as well as text. It is updated daily with articles that tie world events to prophecies given to her. These Last Days Ministries in located in Lowell, Michigan and run by Gary Wohlscheid.St. Michael's World Apostolate
St Michael's World Apostolate (SMWA) is the official organization in charge of the Bayside Mission. It is staffed full-time by the lay Order of St. Michael, a Roman Catholic community of seven celibate lay men who have dedicated their lives to promoting Lueken's messages. The Order promotes its message through online radio programs, a website and on-site printing presses. The group claims to have a mailing list of more than 50,000. SMWA holds a Sunday Holy Hour for the Pope and clergy on the location where Lueken received the apparitions and messages and evening Rosary Vigils throughout the year.Michael Mangan is president of SMWA and head of the lay Order of St. Michael. He joined Lueken's mission in 1978 and from 1989 to 1995 was in daily telephone contact with her. Some in the Bayside movement dispute Mangan and SMWA's authority.
The SWMA claims prophecies may be valid but do not come to pass; Lueken was told over twenty times in the messages that all prophecy is conditional and does not have to happen
Our Lady of the Roses, Mary Help of Mothers Shrine
The very first web site created and dedicated to the dissemination of the messages received by Veronica Lueken from the Blessed Virgin Mary at Bayside, NY.Primary sources
- Veronica Lueken: The Virgin Mary's Bayside Prophecies: Volume 1: 1970-1973: Bayside, New York: 2002: ISBN 1-891981-01-3
- Our Lady of the Roses Shrine: Roses From Heaven: Orange, Texas: Children of Mary: 1990.
- David Clyde Skovmand: Prophecies Received by Mrs Veronica Lueken: Oakland: Our Lady's Worker of Northern California: 1997.
Contemporary media reports
- Roberta Grant: "War of the Roses" Rolling Stone (21.02.80):43-46.
- Phillip Nobile: "Our Lady of Bayside" New York11 (11.12.78): 47-60.