Marienfried “Sister Anne” (Mary K.) Farran https://houseofmaryomd.org 2017–MarianNews YouTubeChannel Good morning everyone! Greetings to our audio and YouTube listeners! Last week we saw that Mary appeared in Belgium during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Beauraing and Banneux were less than an hour’s drive away from one another yet the sensation in Beauraing had not affected Banneux, either because there was so much religious indifference, or because poverty and lack of instant communication kept people more isolated. Something similar happened in Germany. After leaving Banneux in 1933, Mary allegedly visited two places in Germany, in 1940, a place called Heede, then in Marienfried in 1944. But whereas in Belgium the messages of Mary were gentle because the Faith was week, in Germany the messages were strong. Emphasis on penance and reparation was marked in the very persons of the seers. One of the four seers at Heede, and the only seer at Marienfried, received the stigmata. Beginning November 1st, 1937 four young girls in the village of Heede began to see Mary at different locations: Margaret Gansferth (13) her sister Greta (11), Anna Schulte (15) and Susanna Bruns. In those days there was a special indulgence called “Toties Quoties” that could be gained as often as one entered a church from noon on All Saints Day through midnight of All Souls Day. The girls were on their way to church to say the prayers to gain this indulgence for the dead, when they passed by a World War I memorial. I saw many of these in France. Unlike generic memorial in the United States. the European memorials are usually inscribed with the names of the local boys and the day each had died in battle. It made war so heart-wrenching. Suddenly the Blessed Mother appeared near this memorial. She was holding the Divine Child in her arms. Both wore dazzling crowns and smiled kindly on the girls. Mary encouraged the girls to offer up even more penances. The girls showed a dramatic change in their behavior, and ceased their usual childish amusements and instead spent many hours each day in prayer. Their seriousness and obvious impatience to see Mary again convinced the village and the pastor. Mary appeared multiple times, as at Beauraing, without really saying too much. By November 7th, several thousand people were present for the apparition. The girls would fall to their knees at the same instant. Mary asked to be invoked as Queen of the Universe and Queen of the Poor Souls She asked to be invoked with the intercessions of the Litany of Loretto She asked that people pray the Rosary which “has immeasurable power” She asked for prayer and conversion At one point the children were arrested by the Gestapo and were taken to a lunatic asylum for a month, but after their release they bravely continued to go to pray at the apparition sites. Greta Gansferth received the stigmata in 1939. On Oct. 19th, 1940 Our Lady gave the four girls a secret intended for the Pope. The message was carried in a sealed envelope by Bishop Berning to Pope Pius XII. The girls said that Mary usually appeared solemn, stern and even shedding tears. She showed them visions of future catastrophes and a “minor judgment”. The final group apparition ended at 8:30 pm November 3, 1940. “Be good and faithful to the will of God. Pray often--especially the Rosary. Farewell my children, until we meet in heaven.” The children were heard to cry out: “Mother, we thank you!” On July 23, 1942, Bishop Berning said in a homily: “From Heede came a rich blessing. I could see that Marian devotion dramatically increased, and that the sacramental life has also dramatically flourished in this parish.” In 1945 Greta Gansferth begins to see our Lord. She does not see Mary anymore but sometimes hears her voice. Jesus expressed displeasure about a dance that was scheduled for October 21st. The villagers believed and the dance was canceled. There are more and more healings. The Bishop of Onasbruch sent two priests to Heede to investigate, priests who were ill-disposed towards them, but their report was favorable. On March 7th, 1946, Bishop Berning authorized a statue of “Mary Queen of the Universe” to be made for placement in the church cemetery. Greta received stern messages from Jesus: Marienfried “Sister Anne” (Mary K.) Farran https://houseofmaryomd.org 2017–MarianNews YouTubeChannel Humanity does not listen to my Voice. They harden their hearts, they resist my grace. They do not wish to have any- thing to do with my Mercy, my Love, my merits; mankind is worse than before the deluge. Mankind is suffocating in sin. Hatred and greed rule their hearts. This is the work of the Devil. They live in great darkness . My faithful souls should not be asleep now like the disciples on Mt. Olivet. They should pray without ceasing and gain all they can for themselves and for others. Tremendous things are in preparation; it will be terrible as never before since the foundation of the world. All those, who in these grave times have suffered much, are martyrs and form the seed for the renovation of the Church. They are privileged to participate in my captivity, in my scourging, in my crown of thorns and my way of the Cross! The Blessed Virgin Mary and all the choirs of Angels will be active during these events. Hell believes that it is sure of the harvest, but I will snatch it away from them. Many curse me now [for the scourge of the War], but these sufferings will come over mankind that they may be saved . With a few faithful, I will build up my Kingdom. I will give souls a special light. For some this light will be a blessing; for others darkness. The light will come like the star that showed the way to the wise men. Mankind will experience my love and my power. I will show them my justice and my mercy. My dearly beloved children, the hour comes closer and closer. Pray without ceasing! For those who are not in a state of grace, it will be frightful! After years of investigation, the Bishop of Onasbruch declared on June 3, 1959, “in the apparitions and messages of Heede we find nothing contrary to the Faith.” In the early sixties thousands of pilgrims were going there to pray, often staying through the night. But there doesn’t seem to be anything organized today. The case is different with Marienfried. Devotion there is on the increase. Marienfried is very rich in content, and in my opinion one of the most important apparitions. I’ve been looking forward to telling this story. During World War II the parishioners of a little place called Pfaffenhofen-on-the-Roth, near Neu Ulm on the Danube, had solemnly vowed to Our Lady that they would build a chapel in gratitude to her if She would protect the parish from all harm in the war. Now it’s 1946 and the parish is ready to make good on it’s promise. Two offers of land had been made and First Vision -- April 25, 1946 On Easter Thursday, April 25, 1946, at 3 o’clock in the afternoon, Father Martin Humpf, his sister Anna and 22 year old young lady named Barbara [Baerbel] Ruess, went into the woods to have a look at both these property sites. Having seen the first site, they were walking toward the second. How would they know which site to choose? The conversation turned to the manner in which some shrines had reportedly come into being, namely by Mary indicating by a sign. Father Humpf expressed the wish out loud that they, too, might be granted such a sign. Then they recited the Rosary together for this intention. They looked at the second site then went back to the first site to start clearing the woods. Their intention was to attach a printed image of Our Lady to a tree and thus establish a wayside shrine as a first beginning for the future chapel. The three had barely started clearing away the brush when Barbara said all of a sudden: “Someone called me.” Father Humpf suggested that it might have been Barbara’s little sister. However, there was no one to be seen. All of a sudden Barbara went into the shrubbery and from there called Father Humpf: “Please come up here and see what kind of a woman this is.” Father Humpf went over to Barbara but did not see anybody. He found Barbara talking to someone he did not see. He heard her ask: “But who are you? . How do you know that? . I don’t understand that.” Gradually it dawned on Father Humpf and his sister Anna that Barbara was experiencing a vision. The Lady disappeared, and Barbara returned to her work. But she was called over to the Lady a second time and a third time and on each occasion she talked with the Lady. Again she asked: “So who are you? How do you know that? I don’t understand that. Yes, that was six years ago! On the 13th of May, Monday after Pentecost! How do you know all that?” Then the apparition disappeared. Barbara firmly believed that Father Humpf and his sister had seen the lady, too, and had heard everything. When both denied this, Barbara became angry and said: “Well, I can’t help knowing what I’ve seen. There’s nothing wrong with my eyesight.” She was quite indignant when both Marienfried “Sister Anne” (Mary K.) Farran https://houseofmaryomd.org 2017–MarianNews YouTubeChannel claimed having seen nothing.