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Not being Catholic, I survived well into adulthood before I knew of the existence of “Marian Apparitions.” Catholic or not, it was a serious gap in my cultural literacy.

Today, I am more enlightened. I am aware that regular sighting of, visitations from, and conversations with the Virgin Mary have been reported around the globe since the Middle Ages. Thousands of alleged interactions have occurred, in big cities, remote villages, churches, homes, caves — you name it. The “seers” of Mary have been young and old, rich and poor.

As you would expect, sightings are made almost exclusively by persons of the Catholic faith. Also, when a sighting is reported, the Catholic Church is quick to step in, study the event, and officially approve or disapprove it. With two millennia of practice, I’m sure they proceed with great efficiency.

Generally speaking, the church classifies Marian Apparitions as (1) “worthy of belief” (thumbs up; possibly a genuine sighting), (2) “not contrary to the Faith” (can’t tell if it’s genuine, but it doesn’t conflict with church teachings), or (3) “not worthy of belief” (thumbs down).

Many outside the ranks of the true believers doubt the legitimacy of these sightings — consider them to be either deliberate hoaxes, hallucinations fueled by faith and superstition, or wishful thinking.

What outsiders think, however, is immaterial. To the faithful, a Marian Apparition is a huge deal, more likely to be embraced than questioned. Often, a sighting will attract religious pilgrims in great numbers.

These are the true believers whose ardor inspires their fellows, and whose money benefits both the church and the local economies.

As for me, I was introduced to the phenomenon of Marian Apparitions 20-odd years ago in Conyers, Georgia, a small town east of Atlanta where I worked at the time.

There, a local housewife claimed that the Virgin Mary appeared to her a total of 49 times between 1990 and 1998.

As a truly surreal series of events unfolded, I had a ringside seat.

The housewife was divorcee Nancy Fowler, a transplant from Massachusetts. Described as a deeply religious person, Fowler claimed that during a religious pilgrimage to Yugoslavia in 1987, God told her she was a prophet.

Fowler said that when she returned to the U.S., a series of visions led her to a small house on the north side of Conyers. A vision instructed her to purchase it.

Claiming to be following explicit instructions from Jesus, she built an altar of stones and erected a wooden cross on a small hill behind the house. She said Jesus told her the hill was a holy place. He also blessed the well on the property.

Fowler told a reporter that she knew the hill was holy and knew the well was blessed because Jesus said so.

On October 13, 1990, Fowler went public about her visions. After passing along a message she said was from the Virgin Mary, Fowler announced that Mary would appear to her on the 13th of every month thereafter to deliver a new message.

Mary’s purpose, Fowler explained, was to bring more souls to Jesus. Fowler’s task was to share Mary’s messages with the world.

Instantly, word spread among the faithful. On the 13th of subsequent months, pilgrims converged on Conyers to hear Mary’s message, first by the hundreds, then by the thousands.

Many came from heavily Hispanic and Catholic areas, such as South Florida. They assembled in a large field next to Fowler’s home, prayed at the Holy Hill, drank water from the Blessed Well, and bought mementos at a small shop on the premises.

On the 13th of the month, traffic on the roads of Conyers was hellish.

Fowler’s practice was to receive the monthly messages privately inside her home, in the Divine Mercy Room. Mary appeared to her there as “a light on the wall.”

Later, Fowler would emerge onto her front porch and read to the assembled masses from hand-written notes.

Nancy Fowler appearing before the multitudes.

Usually, the messages were generic — advice to pray and live piously, admonitions against sin and war. Fowler usually spoke for half an hour or more.

On one occasion, she quoting the Virgin Mary as saying, “My crowning words are to be holy, to be witnesses, and to walk in my faith. I love you all, my dear children.”

At another time, Mary’s message was, “The future holds no concern to those who truly seek God and love him and remain in his favor.”

Another message was, “More natural disasters will come. See what will happen if you continue to offend God. I am sorry to tell you this.”

As the fame of the Conyers Apparitions grew, a non-profit organization, Our Loving Mother’s Children, Inc., was formed to help manage the activities. The non-profit also published and sold books and videos.

At about the same time, Fowler announced that the Virgin Mary wanted her followers to purchase the 30-acre farm next door, which was about to be foreclosed upon, and to build a church and a shrine there.

Two wealthy benefactors stepped forward, bought the property, and turned it over to Our Loving Mother’s Children, Inc.

The story of Nancy Fowler and the Conyers Apparitions will continue in my next post.