Bishop Approves Private Pilgrimage to Rosa Mystica Shrine

Recently, I was contacted by a group of priests who desired to organize a private (non-diocesan sponsored) pilgrimage for priests in April of 2005 to the Rosa Mystica Shrine in Montichiari, Italy. Years ago, Our Lady had reportedly appeared several times in Montichiari (in the northern region of Lombardy) as the "Rosa Mystica" (Mystical Rose) and conveyed a powerful message of promised graces for the renewal of priesthood and religious life, particularly for those in crisis. The question raised to me by the priests seeking to organize the pilgrimage was: "Can we privately pilgrimage to Rosa Mystica in obedience to the Church?"

First, some background. In the Spring of 1947, Pierina Gilli, a young nurse in Montichiari, reported a magnificently illuminated vision of the Mother of God who was very sad, with tears running from her eyes, and Her Heart pierced with three swords. The first sword signified the unworthy celebration of Holy Mass and Communion unworthily received; the second sword stood for infidelity to, and the abandoning of, a priestly or religious vocation; the third sword represented a betrayal of Catholic faith. Our Lady then asked for prayer, sacrifice, and penance in atonement.

Pierina reported a second apparition of Our Lady on July 13, 1947, in which the image of the internationally known statues of the Rosa Mystica have their origin, as well as the extraordinary promises of graces for priests and religious. Our Lady appeared to Pierina in a white dress. She was adorned with three beautiful roses of white, red and yellow color, which were located in place of the three swords previously visible. The white rose represented the spirit of prayer, the red rose represented the spirit of sacrifice, and the yellow rose the spirit of penance and conversion. Pierina asked the person of the apparition: "Please tell me, who are you?" In reply to this question, the Woman smiled and said:

I am the Mother of Jesus and the Mother of all of you. Our Lord sends me to bring a new Marian Devotion to all religious orders and institutes, male and female, and to the priests of this world. I promise to protect those religious orders and institutes who will venerate me in this special way, increase their vocations, and achieve a greater striving for saintliness among the servants of God. I wish that the 13th of each month be celebrated as a Marian Day. Special prayers are to be said during the proceeding twelve days.

With an expression of great joy, She continued:

On this day I shall pour out vocational holiness and abundant graces on those religious orders and spiritual institutes who have honored me especially. I wish that July 13th be celebrated each year in honor of the Rosa Mystica.

Also in the message reported by Pierina was Our Lady's request that on December 8 of each year, at the noon hour, an "Hour of Grace" be celebrated, in church if possible, by all the faithful: "This Hour of Grace will produce great and numerous conversions. Hardened and cold hearts resembling this marble will be touched by divine Grace, and they will become faithful to Our Lord in loyal love."

On December 8, 1947, Our Lady appeared and reportedly confirmed to Pierina: 

Through my coming to Montichiari, I wish to be known as the Rosa Mystica. It is my wish that every year, on 8th December, at noon, the Hour of Grace for the world be celebrated. Many divine and bodily graces will be received through this devotion. Our Lord, my Divine Son Jesus, will send His overflowing mercy if good people will pray continuously for their sinful brother. 

In our own contemporary time of crisis in the priesthood and religious life, the message of the Rosa Mystica and her superlatively generous promises of graces for an increase in vocations, for a renewal of priestly and religious life, and in reparation for the offenses experienced by the Hearts of Jesus and Mary from their beloved consecrated souls, comprise a crucial call of obvious relevance and efficacy for today's priests and religious, particularly in the western world.

But the question asked by the priests seeking to organize the private pilgrimage to Montichiari remains vital—"can we privately pilgrimage to Rosa Mystica in obedience to the Church?" Statements from the previous diocesan bishop of Brescia issued in the 1980's brought serious doubt as to the possibility of even private pilgrimages to the apparition site.

It was therefore time to contact the present bishop of Brescia, His Excellency, Monsignor Giulio Sanguineti, under whose jurisdiction the apparitions and their ecclesial discernment of authenticity first fall, to ascertain the current status and legitimacy of private, non-diocesan sponsored pilgrimages to Rosa Mystica while the reported apparitions remain under discernment by the Church.

In the following letter from Bishop Sanguineti of Brescia, dated July 15, 2004, and conveying the official diocesan seal of the Bishop of Brescia, the priests received their answer:

Hopefully, this new positive development of clear permission for a private pilgrimage to the Rosa Mystica apparitions site by the local ecclesiastical authority will bring forth a renewed interest in the Rosa Mystica apparitions, as well as fresh graces for vocations, both new and renewed, for the Church today.


Note: Any priests interested in joining the pilgrimaging priests and Dr. Miravalle on the April 13-19, 2005, Private Pilgrimage to the Rosa Mystica Shrine can contact Fr. Henry Bordeaux, OCD, at 1-405-235-2037 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or Jackie Sigur at 1-504-836-2833. All priests are most welcome.