Title of the Virgin Mary
Our Lady of the Pillar
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![](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8c/Escultura_de_la_Virgen_del_Pilar%2C_en_la_Bas%C3%ADlica_del_Pilar_de_Zaragoza%2C_Espa%C3%B1a%2C_Spain.jpg/290px-Escultura_de_la_Virgen_del_Pilar%2C_en_la_Bas%C3%ADlica_del_Pilar_de_Zaragoza%2C_Espa%C3%B1a%2C_Spain.jpg) The image of Our Lady of the Pillar wearing her canonical crown
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Location
| Zaragoza, Spain
|
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Date
| 12 October AD 40 (traditional)
[1]
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Witness
| Apostle James the Greater
|
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Type
| Marian Apparition
|
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Approval
| Pope Callixtus III
(1456)
Pope Innocent XIII
(1723)
Pope Pius X
(1905)
|
---|
Venerated in
| Catholic Church
|
---|
Shrine
| Basilica of Our Lady of the Pilar, Zaragoza, Spain
|
---|
Patronage
| Zaragoza, Spain
,
Spanish Civil Guard
,
Melo, Uruguay
,
Buenos Aires
, Argentina,
Diocese of Imus, Cavite
,
Zamboanga City
,
Santa Cruz, Manila
,
Alaminos, Laguna
,
San Simon, Pampanga
,
Libmanan, Camarines Sur
,
Pilar
and
Morong
in
Bataan
,
Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro
,
Sibonga, Cebu
,
Baleno, Masbate
,
Cauayan, Isabela
,
Hispanic people
and the
Hispanic world
.
[2]
|
---|
Attributes
| The Blessed Virgin Mary carrying the
Child Jesus
atop a Pillar, surrounded by two or more angels
|
---|
Our Lady of the Pillar
(
Spanish
:
Nuestra Senora del Pilar
) is the name given to the
Blessed Virgin Mary
in the context of the traditional belief that Mary, while living in
Jerusalem
, supernaturally appeared to the Apostle
James the Greater
in
AD 40
while he was preaching in what is now
Spain
. Those who adhere to this belief consider this appearance to be the only recorded instance of Mary exhibiting the mystical phenomenon of
bilocation
.
[3]
Among
Catholics
, it is also considered the first
Marian apparition
, and unique because it happened while Mary was still living on Earth.
[4]
This title is also associated with a wooden image commemorating the apparition, which is now enshrined at the
Cathedral-Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar
in
Zaragoza
,
Aragon
,
Spain
.
Pope Callixtus III
granted
indulgences
for visitors to the shrine in 1456.
Pope Innocent XIII
in 1730 mandated her veneration throughout the
Spanish Empire
. On 20 May 1905,
Pope Pius X
granted the image a
canonical coronation
.
Our Lady of the Pillar is considered the Patroness of
Aragon
and its capital
Zaragoza
,
Hispanic people
, the
Hispanic world
,
[2]
and of the
Spanish Civil Guard
. Her
feast day
is 12 October, which coincides with the
National Day of Spain
.
History
[
edit
]
Early tradition
[
edit
]
Apparition of the Virgin of the Pillar to Saint James and his Saragossan disciples
by
Francisco Goya
, c. 1769
Our Lady of the Pillar
by
Ramon Bayeu
, 1780
Catholic
tradition holds that, in the early days of Christianity, the
Apostles of Jesus
spread the Gospel throughout the known world, with
James the Greater
evangelizing
in
Roman Hispania
(modern-day
Spain
). He confronted great difficulties in his missionary efforts and faced severe discouragement. In
AD 40
, while he was praying by the banks of the
Ebro
at
Caesaraugusta
(Zaragoza), Mary
bilocated
from
Jerusalem
, where she was living at the time, and appeared to James, accompanied by thousands of
angels
, to console and encourage him.
[3]
Some of the earliest archaeological evidence of Marian devotion in
Zaragoza
is found in Christian tombs dating from Roman days, which appear to bear images representing the
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin
. In the 4th century, the presence of
votive images placed on columns or pillars
is attested.
[5]
The oldest written testimony of devotion to the Blessed Virgin in Zaragoza is usually identified as that of Pedro Librana in 1155.
[6]
There is evidence that the site attracted pilgrims from across the Iberian Peninsula during the 13th century, e.g. reflected in the work
Milagros de Nuestra Senora
by
Gonzalo de Berceo
, dated to the 1250s or early 1260s. The appellation
Santa Maria del Pilar
is attested for 1299. The claim that the first church had been the oldest in Hispania, built in AD 40 by
James the Greater
, is first recorded in 1318.
[7]
A book by Michael O'Neil (2015) called
Exploring the Miraculous
indicates that there are various traditions about earliest approvals by the church of this Marian apparition. From his book:
"For example, one of the great pilgrimage sites in Spain, Our Lady of the Pillar in Zaragoza, originating in a miracle and housing an ancient jasper Marian image on a column, did not always recognize Our Lady under this title. According to the legend relating to the apostle St. James the Greater and his travels in Spain, on January 2 in the year 40, he was disheartened with his lack of success in proclaiming the gospel in Caesaraugusta (present-day Zaragoza) by the river Ebro, when he saw Mary (still alive at the time) miraculously appear on a pillar, comforting him and calling him to return to Jerusalem. The first written mention of the Virgin of Zaragoza comes from a bishop in the middle of the twelfth century, and Zaragoza’s co-cathedral’s name did not originally include a reference to El Pilar, being called Santa Maria Mayor. In 1296, Pope Boniface VIII conferred an indulgence on pilgrims visiting this shrine but still without mention of Our Lady of the Pillar. One of the legal councils of Zaragoza first wrote about Our Lady under this title in 1299, promising safety and privileges to pilgrims who came to visit the shrine. In 1456, Pope Calixtus III issued a bull encouraging pilgrimage to Our Lady of the Pillar and confirming the name and the miraculous origin. So, despite the lack of early extant texts about the miracle story and the name of this devotion, the enduring tradition delivers the story to us today."
In other interpretations, the tradition of the
Marian apparition
can be traced to the 15th century: In either 1434 or 1435, a fire destroyed the alabaster altarpiece. The replacement altarpiece features bas-relief representations of the Marian apparition. The image of the Virgen del Pilar venerated today also dates to this period. It executed in the late Gothic style of
Juan de la Huerta
.
[8]
Pope Calixtus III
in a bull issued on 23 September 1456 declares a seven-year
indulgence
for those who visit Our Lady of Saragossa. The text of the bull specifically mentions a pillar, for the first time suggesting the existence of an image known as
Our Lady of the Pillar
.
[9]
The feast day of 12 October was officially introduced by the Council of Zaragoza in 1640.
[10]
According to the account by
Maria de Agreda
(d. 1665) in her
Mystical City of God
, Mary, mother of Jesus, was transported from Jerusalem to Hispania during the night, on a cloud carried by angels. During the journey, the angels also built a pillar of marble, and a miniature image of Mary with the Child Jesus.
[11]
Approval
[
edit
]
The work represents the Virgen del Pilar, patroness of Spain.
The
apparition
of Our Lady of the Pillar was accepted as canonical by
Pope Innocent XIII
in 1723. So many contradictions
[
clarification needed
]
had arisen concerning the miraculous origin of the church that Spain appealed to Innocent XIII to settle the controversy. After careful investigation, the twelve
cardinals
, in whose hands the affair rested, adopted the following account, which was approved by the
Sacred Congregation of Rites
on 7 August 1723, and later inserted in the lessons of the office of the feast of our Lady of the Pillar, celebrated on 12 October:
[12]
Holy Chapel of the Pilar of Zaragoza. Altar with the
Coming of the Virgin
by '
Jose Ramirez de Arellano
.
Of all the places that Spain offers for the veneration of the devout, the most illustrious is doubtless the sanctuary consecrated to God under the invocation of the Blessed Virgin, under the title of our Lady of the Pillar, at Saragossa.
According to ancient and pious tradition, St. James the Greater, led by Providence into Spain, spent some time at Saragossa. He there received a signal favour from the Blessed Virgin. As he was praying with his disciples one night, upon the banks of the Ebro, as the same tradition informs us, the Mother of God, who still lived, appeared to him, and commanded him to erect an oratory in that place. The apostle delayed not to obey this injunction, and with the assistance of his disciples soon constructed a small chapel. In the course of time a larger church was built and dedicated, which, with the dedication of
Saint Saviour's
, is kept as a festival in the city and
Diocese of Saragossa
on the 4th of October.
James returned to Jerusalem with some of his disciples where he became a
martyr
, beheaded in AD 44 during the reign of
Herod Agrippa
.
[13]
His disciples allegedly returned his body to Spain.
[14]
The year AD 40 is the earliest recognised Marian apparition in the Catholic Church, dating to a time when Mary, the mother of Jesus, was still alive.
[15]
Pope Clement XII
allowed the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar all over the
Spanish Empire
in 1730. Since the feast day (12 October) coincides with the discovery of the
Americas
(12 October 1492), Mary was later named as Patroness of the Hispanic World under this title.
[16]
Image
[
edit
]
Zaragoza
[
edit
]
View of the basilica as seen across the River Ebro, looking west, with the
Puente de Piedra
in the foreground
A fire in 1434 burned down the church that preceded the present basilica.
The construction of the present
Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar
, Zaragoza was started in 1681 and ended in 1711.
The wooden image and pillar without the mantle (photograph taken on 2 April 2011; the image is displayed without mantle on the 2nd, 12th and 20th day of each month).
The wooden statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary is in the
Late Gothic
style. It stands 39 centimetres (15 in) tall, on a pillar of
jasper
with a height of 1.8 metres (5.9 ft).
The statue depicts
Mary with the Child Jesus
on her left arm, who has a
dove
sitting on his left palm.
Some reports state that an earlier wooden image was destroyed when the church burned down in 1434,
[17]
consistent with an attribution of the current image to
Juan de la Huerta
(d. 1462) or his school.
[18]
It appears that folk belief in some cases may be inclined to regard the Saragossa image as
miraculous
, sculptured by the angels as they transported Mary from Jerusalem to Saragossa (Zaragoza); this mystical tradition goes back to
Maria de Agreda
(d. 1665), herself the object of frequent "mystical bilocation" (i.e. she reported that she was often "transported by the aid of the angels" ), who gave an account to this effect in her
Mystical City of God
; however, unlike the tradition of the Marian apparition itself, the miraculous origin of the image is not part of the tradition recognized by the Holy See as canonical.
Since the 16th century, the pillar is usually draped in a skirt-like cover called
manto
"mantle".
[17]
As a whole, it is protected by a bronze case and then another case of silver.
[19]
The image was
canonically crowned
in 1905 during the reign of
Pope Pius X
. The crown was designed by the Marquis of Grini, valued at 450,000
pesetas
(c.
USD
2.6 million as of 2017).
[20]
Other depictions
[
edit
]
Our Lady of the Pillar
is a common motif of the
Madonna and Child
in Spanish art; extant examples other than the Saragossa image date from the Renaissance period onward. Depictions become especially numerous following the introduction of the feast day throughout the Spanish Empire in 1730.
-
Statue of
Our Lady of the Pillar
by Cosme Damian Bas (c. 1570), part of the main altarpiece of
Albarracin Cathedral
-
Baroque-era statue of
Our Lady of the Pillar
, by "Esteban Perez de Anies", dated 1642
-
Painting of
Our Lady of the Pillar
, by Francisco Jimenez Maza (1655)
-
Statue of
Our Lady of the Pillar
, part of the main altarpiece of the
Basilica Nuestra Senora del Pilar
in
Buenos Aires
(1732)
-
The shrine of
Our Lady of the Pillar
in
Fort Pilar
Zamboanga City
, Philippines (1734).
-
Sculpture of
Our Lady of the Pillar
(1752) above the entrance to the
Hospital de Pobres y Peregrinos
in
Tui, Pontevedra
-
St. James and his disciples venerating
Our Lady of the Pillar
, painting by
Goya
(c. 1775–1780).
-
Zaragoza - the Pillar - Relief of the Virgin of Pablo Serrano.
-
Relief of
Our Lady of the Pillar
on the monument to
Christopher Columbus
in Columbus Square (
Madrid
, Spain), completed in 1885.
-
La Virgen del pilar (Late 18th century), Puerto Rico.
Feast day
[
edit
]
Altarpiece of the Assumption of the main altar of the Basilica of Our Lady of Pilar de Zaragoza (Spain)
Floral offering to Our Lady of the Pillar
The
feast
of Our Lady of the Pillar is celebrated on 12 October
[21]
and she is the Patroness of the
Hispanic
peoples and the
Spanish Civil Guard
. A grand nine-day festival known as
Fiestas del Pilar
is celebrated in Saragossa (Zaragoza) every year in her honour. The modern
Fiestas del Pilar
, as they developed since the 19th century, begin on the weekend preceding 12 October and they end on the Sunday after 12 October (i.e. they move between 5–13 and 11–19 October). They were declared as a "national holiday of touristic interest" (
Fiesta de Interes Turistico Nacional
) by the
Ministerio de Comercio y Turismo
in 1980.
As 12 October coincides with the day of the year 1492 when
land
was first sighted on
Columbus's First Voyage
,
the
Fiesta de la Raza Espanola
, first proposed in 1913 by
Faustino Rodriguez-San Pedro y Diaz-Arguelles
to fall on the same date. In the United States, this was later called "
Columbus Day
", as Columbus tends to be more associated with Italy and Italian-Americans, rather than the Spanish and Latin America in the U.S.
The
Fiesta de la Raza Espanola
was declared the national holiday of Spain in a decree by
Antonio Maura
and
king Alfonso XIII
of 1918. The alternative name
Dia de la Hispanidad
was proposed in the late 1920s by
Ramiro de Maeztu
, based on a suggestion by Zacarias de Vizcarra.
After the
Civil War
, on 12 October 1939, the
Dia de la Raza
was celebrated in Saragossa (Zaragoza), presided by
Francisco Franco
, with a special devotion to the
Virgen del Pilar
. Chilean foreign vice-secretary German Vergara Donoso commented that the "profound significance of the celebration was the intimate inter-penetration of the homage to the Race and the devotion to Our Lady of the Pillar, i.e. the symbol of the ever more extensive union between America and Spain."
[22]
The name of
Dia de la Hispanidad
was introduced as the official name of the national holiday in a decree of 9 January 1958.
During the
transition to democracy
, there was a proposal to shift the national day to 6 December, the day of adoption of the
Constitution
, but in the end, in a decree of 1982, the day of 12 October was retained, under the name of
Fiesta Nacional de Espana y Dia de la Hispanidad
.
[23]
In 1987, the name was reduced to just
Dia de la Fiesta Nacional de Espana
.
[24]
Veneration of Our Lady of the Pillar around the world
[
edit
]
Pilar
, short for Maria del Pilar, is a common Spanish given name, with
name day
on the feast of Our Lady of the Pillar.
Caribbean
[
edit
]
- Parroquia Nuestra Senora del Pilar,
Rio Piedras
, Puerto Rico, United States
- Iglesia Nuestra Senora del Pilar,
Havana
, Cuba
South America
[
edit
]
Philippines
[
edit
]
In the
Philippines
, ruled by Spain for over three hundred years, Our Lady of the Pillar is honored as the
patroness
of a number of
parishes
and
municipalities
; seven are named
Pilar
in her honor. There are towns named Pilar in the
provinces
of
Abra
,
Bataan
,
Bohol
,
Capiz
,
Cebu
,
Surigao del Norte
and
Sorsogon
. As in Spain, her
feast day
is celebrated every 12 October.
- In
Zamboanga City
, the Virgin of the Pillar has been venerated for almost four centuries as the patroness of the city and in the
Archdiocese of Zamboanga
. The
bas relief
of her atop the eastern gate of the 17th-century Spanish military
fort
dedicated to the Virgin,
Fort Pilar
(Full name: Royal Fort of our Virgin Lady of the Pillar of Zaragoza,
El Fuerte Real de Nuestra Senora Virgen del Pilar de Zaragoza
), is now a
Catholic
Marian
shrine. The city also has a street named after her ? Pilar Street.
[25]
- In
Davao City
, a shrine in honor of
Nuestra Senora del Pilar
in Magsaysay Park was built through the collaborative efforts of Circulo Zamboangueno de Davao, a local group of transposed from Zamboanga City.
[26]
[27]
- Our Lady of the Pillar
is also the patroness of
Santa Cruz
parish church in the district of the same name, in the city of
Manila
. The
Jesuits
brought the patroness when they administered the church during the Spanish era. Her
feast day
is also celebrated every 12 October in the district. However, the church has its Marian procession in the 3rd week of October.
[28]
The image was canonically crowned on 7 December 2017.
[29]
- Our Lady of the Pillar
is the patroness of
Imus
,
Cavite
and the
Diocese of Imus
enshrined at the
Imus Cathedral
in
Cavite
. The city celebrates its
fiesta
every October with the
Karakol
, a ritual dance-procession performed in fiestas around the province of
Cavite
. The image was canonically crowned on 3 December 2012.
- Our Lady of the Pillar is also the patroness, with 12 October as the feast day, in the following places:
- City of
Cauayan, Isabela
.
- Town of
Morong, Bataan
.
- Don Rufino Alonzo Sr. Street
Cotabato City
Maguindanao.
- Town of
Baleno, Masbate
.
- Town of
Pilar, Bataan
.
- Town of
Pilar, Bohol
.
- Town of
Pilar, Capiz
- Town of
Pilar, Sorsogon
.
- Town of
San Simon, Pampanga
.
- Town of
Sibonga, Cebu
.
- Town of
Alaminos
,
Laguna
.
- Town of
Mamburao
,
Occidental Mindoro
.
- Town & Diocese of
Libmanan
,
Camarines Sur
- Brgy.
Kalubkob,
Silang, Cavite
- Brgy.
Guinsay,
Danao, Cebu
- Brgy.
New Guinlo,
Taytay, Palawan
- Brgy.
Del Pilar,
Zaragoza, Nueva Ecija
- Brgy.
Lumbangan,
Nasugbu, Batangas
- Brgy.
Indangan,
Makilala, Cotabato
- Brgy.
Maao,
Bago, Negros Occidental
References
[
edit
]
- ^
accepted as canonical by the
Sacred Congregation of Rites
on 7 August 1723.
- ^
a
b
Curtis, William (2004).
Fodor's Spain
. University of Michigan Press. p. 232.
ISBN
9781400012701
.
the Virgen del Pilar, the patron saint not only of peninsular Spain but of the entire Hispanic world.
- ^
a
b
Peterson, Larry (12 October 2017).
"Did you know the 1st apparition of the Blessed Mother was an act of bilocation?"
.
Aleteia
. Retrieved
30 May
2019
.
- ^
"Nuestra Senora del Pilar (Our Lady of the Pillar)"
.
Catholic News Agency
. Retrieved
30 May
2019
.
Unlike every other recorded apparition, this one took place during the earthly life of the Mother of God.
- ^
Nogues y Secall (1862),
p. 30
.
- ^
March, J.M. (1911).
"Nuestra Senora Del Pilar" from
New Advent: The Catholic Encyclopedia
. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved 26 February 2013.
- ^
Lasagabaster Arratibel (1999), p. 84.
- ^
Mª Carmen Lacarra, Apud Arturo Anson Navarro y Belen Boloqui Larraya, ≪Zaragoza Barroca≫, en Guillermo Fatas Cabeza, (coord.) Guia historico-artistica de Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Ayuntamiento (Servicio de accion cultural), 1991, pag. 310.
ISBN
84-86807-76-X
.
- ^
Nogues y Secall (1862),
p. 64
, c.f. De Plancy (1852), p. 262.
- ^
Nogues y Secall (1862),
68
.
- ^
Fr. Tommy Lane
Homily during a pilgrimage to Zaragoza, Spain
(undated, frtommylane.com)
[
unreliable source?
]
- ^
De Plancy 1852, pg. 261
- ^
Camerlynck, Achille. "St. James the Greater." The Catholic Encyclopedia
Vol. 8. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1910. 23 January 2016
- ^
De Plancy 1852, pg. 263
- ^
"Nuestra Senora del Pilar", Catholic News Agency, October 12, 2017
. According to
Hyppolitus of Thebes
, Mary lived for 11 years after the death of Jesus, dying in AD 41.
Rainer Riesner
(1998).
Paul's early period: chronology, mission strategy, theology
. Wm. B. Eerdmans.
ISBN
9780802841667
. Retrieved
20 August
2011
.
. See also
Dormition of the Mother of God
.
- ^
(2011-10-12).
"At the centre of Marian faith: Spain’s National Holiday and the Feast of the Virgin of Pilar"
. Custodia Terræ Sanctæ. Retrieved on 25 February 2013.
- ^
a
b
John M. Samaha, “
Our Lady of the Pillar
,”
All About Mary
. International Marian Research Institute, University of Dayton.
- ^
Carmen Lacarra, in: Arturo Anson Navarro, Belen Boloqui Larraya,
Zaragoza Barroca
, Guillermo Fatas Cabeza, (ed.)
Guia historico-artistica de Zaragoza
, Zaragoza, Ayuntamiento (Servicio de accion cultural) (1991), p. 310.
- ^
Javier Mendivil,
"The Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar, Saragossa, Spain"
(pasapues.es). Retrieved on 25 February 2013.
[
unreliable source?
]
- ^
based on the value "£18,750" given by March (1911), historical conversion rate from
stephenmorley.org
; about USD 5.3 million based on the historical
gold standard
of the peseta.
- ^
"Our Lady of the Pillar", Marianists, 9 October 2011
[
unreliable source?
]
- ^
≪Las fiestas de la Hispanidad han tenido en Zaragoza un escenario incomparable. (...) El significado profundo de las fiestas fue la compenetracion intima del homenaje a la Raza y la devocion de Nuestra Senora del Pilar, es decir, el simbolo de la union cada vez mas estrecha de America y Espana.≫ Gustavo Bueno Sanchez, [≪Dia de la Hispanidad≫
http://www.filosofia.org/ave/001/a224.htm
(filosofia.org)]
- ^
Real Decreto 3217/1981, Boletin Oficial del Estado del ano 1982.
Cesar Cervera,
¿Por que coincide la Fiesta Nacional de Espana con la Virgen del Pilar?
,
ABC
, 12 October 2014.
- ^
"Ley 18/1987" (BOE 241/1987, p. 30149).
- ^
"History of Zamboanga"
. Zamboanga, the city of flowers.
[
unreliable source?
]
- ^
Maranga, Mark Anthony (15 August 2010).
"Magsaysay Park in Davao City"
. Philippines Travel Guide. Retrieved on 2011-07-18.
[
unreliable source?
]
- ^
"Magsaysay Park Map"
Archived
23 October 2011 at the
Wayback Machine
. Davao City Living. Retrieved on 18 July 2011.
[
unreliable source?
]
- ^
"Santa Cruz Parish"
Archived
27 September 2011 at the
Wayback Machine
. Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila Website. Retrieved on 18 July 2011.
[
unreliable source?
]
- ^
"Canonical Coronation of Nuestra Senora del Pilar | CBCPNews"
.
CBCPNews
. Retrieved
22 December
2017
.
- De Plancy, J. Collin
(1852), "Legends of the Blessed Virgin", London,
261–267
.
- Lasagabaster Arratibel, Daniel (1999),
Historia de la Santa Capilla de Nuestra Senora del Pilar
, Zaragoza (Reyes de Aragon, 5),
ISBN
84-605-8648-0
.
- Nogues y Secall, Mariano (1862).
Historia critica y apologetica de la Virgen nuestra senora del Pilar de Zaragoza y de su templo y tabernaculo desde el siglo I hasta nuestros dias
, Madrid, Alejandro Gomez Fuentenebro.
- O'Neill, Michael
Exploring the Miraculous
(2015) Our Sunday Visitor Publishing Division Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Huntington, Indiana 46750,
ISBN
978-1-61278-779-4
(Inventory No. T1585)
External links
[
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]
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Papal inscription of
an associated feast on the
General Roman Calendar
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Approval of the apparition
and its veneration
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Approval of veneration only
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