THE GREAT APPARITIONS OF MARY
An Examination of the Twenty-Two Supranormal Appearances
Ingo Swann
"A respected scientific investigator writes an objective in-depth account of the most outstanding and momentous Marian appearances. The great apparitions -- starting with Guadalupe in 1531 -- occur with a steady and increasing drumbeat across the decades and centuries. This fascinating account of the appearances of Mary challenges readers to reflect on the messages and their possible consequences for our future."
BASILICA OF THE NATIONAL SHRINE BOOKSTORE
Washington DC
(Fall, Christmas 1996)
"Swann (YOUR NOSTRADAMUS FACTOR, S&S, 1993) investigates recorded apparitions of Mary, from a vision in Guadalupe, Mexico in 1531 to the one in Rwanda in 1981-83. Swann uses holography and other scientific theories in an attempt to explain these apparitions, but he is even more interested in their message to the world, a message about the need to pray for world peace, avoid violence, and honor the more stereotypically feminine virtues. These great apparitions have, according to Swann, prophetic power and warning. He believes that a new apparition is overdue because during the modern period they 'have occurred on an average of about every ten years or so.' ...The great visions with public messages... will inspire not only Roman Catholics but also those concerned with cultivating positive feminine images and values from a fairly traditional stance. Recommended for public libraries."
LIBRARY REVIEW
November 15 1996
"Sightings of Mary have become one of the popular religious attractions in contemporary culture. In his book, Swann 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 Medejugorje. While Swann offers a marvelous overview of the circumstances surrounding these apparitions, he also explores the historical stance taken by the Roman Catholic Church toward such apparitions. According to Swann, 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. Swann'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."
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
November 1996