Borġ in-Nadur apparitions
Encyclopedia
The Borġ in-Nadur apparitions are a series of visions of the Virgin Mary reported by Angelik Caruana, a resident of Birżebbuġa
in Malta, since December 2005. After perceiving several apparitions in his own home, Caruana later encountered apparitions at Borġ in-Nadur Hill, where the Virgin Mary asked him that she wished to be known as "Our Lady of Borġ in-Nadur". Caruana has since returned to the site regularly to describe this visions, in which he perceives the Virgin Mary to be communicating in Maltese, with messages urging prayer, and the spiritual conversion of all nations to Catholicism.
Although Caruana's visions have been dismissed by the Archbishop of Malta's curia
, he has a number of followers who continue to visit the site, and who circulate Caruana's messages through newsletters and the internet.
When Caruana experienced another apparition on April 21, he took steps to record and report its message, which was: "Pray! Pray the rosary and make others pray the rosary!" Apparitions began to occur more regularly, although without any pattern, and in June 2006, Caruana reported apparitions on the 19, 23 and 30. Father Hayden Williams was notified of the events and became Caruana's spiritual director under his own initiative, without the support of the church, accompanying him on many occasions during his apparitions. The next apparition occurred on July 26, the message was:
Traditionally in Malta, "a rosary" consists of the meditation on five out of the 20 available mysteries, according to a weekly schedule - Caruana's message requested the meditation of all 20 mysteries of the rosary
every day.
Starting in December 2006, Caruana was reporting weekly apparitions on the 'Borġ in-Nadur Hill', which he described as "the special place Mother Mary has chosen for the apparitions". These apparitions included conversations with the Virgin Mary, visions of souls in Purgatory, vision of the Archangel Uriel, Satanic attacks, mystic visions of Jesus on the Cross, the apparition of the Eucharist on Caruana's hands and his subsequent Holy Communion and visions of other supernatural phenomena.
The public messages Caruana gives on Borġ in-Nadur Hill are now recorded live by the priests accompanying him, and are read out to an audience within 40 minutes. All the message are also found on the Borġ in-Nadur official website. Lengthy messages start out with "My dear children" where Caruana greets the listeners as the Virgin Mary's children. Caruana's messages have directed the pilgrims present to meditate on the rosary daily as the means to acquire peace, and have said that Mass
is more of a necessity than visiting the site of Borġ in-Nadur, although Caruana has said that the Virgin Mary wanted the people to visit the site and pray as "it is a special place that she herself has chosen".
In 2010, Caruana was directed by the Virgin Mary to travel to Gozo
, Malta's sister island where he described further apparitions from her at a site in Xewkija
. In 2011, Caruana travelled to the Vatican, where he climbed over a security barrier to interrupt a general audience with Pope Benedict XVI
, in order to personally deliver a letter containing "devotional messages". Caruana was escorted from the venue by Vatican security.
is a guardian angel
who Caruana describes as being visible only to him. Caruana has spoken of how the angel can transport his soul to different places. On a particular occasion, Caruana described how his soul was transported over five hundred miles to to Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Uriel reportedly ministers the Eucharist to Caruana. Several witnesses have reported the Eucharist appearing out of nowhere, with Caruana receiving it in his hands and subsequent Holy Communion.
Caruana talks of communing with souls from Purgatory, who ask for intercession so that they might be transferred to heaven. The visits from the souls in Purgatory include a re-visitation at the time of their entrance in heaven, when Caruana is able to witness them entering the pearly gates. Caruana considers it important to pray for the departed. St. Francis of Assisi has also appeared in Caruana's visions, and has spoken to him about the need to "radically change the Church from the inside".
Caruana reports experiencing pain related to Jesus' sufferinġ Every Friday, he describes feeling the five wounds of Jesus during the Crucifixion
, and occasionally the crown of thorns and the flagellation. Caruana believes that the Virgin Mary has told him that one day he will also demonstrate visible stigmata
of these injuries.
Caruana has described several demonic attacks on his person, and has experienced three visions of Hell. In the first vision, the Virgin Mary's hands emitted a blazing fire that extended between the cross and the bronze-age wall, passing through an assembled crowd of the damned, who Caruana saw to be blaspheming and fighting one another. Within the flames and among the people Caruana perceived many devils that had the shape of humans and animals, who began to mock the people while hovering above them. Fr. Hayden reported Caruana as asking "Why is it Lady that you are now showing me hell?" Caruana experienced a similar vision in July 2008, causing him to weep, and request a sign from the Virgin Mary. He reported her reply as a request that she would only issue such a sign following sufficient conversion.
, the rejection of Halloween
as an American "party" tradition, and the variety of sins which will condemn a soul to Hell
, including abortion, divorce, euthanasia, pornography, drug abuse
, child abuse
and premarital sex. Modern attitudes to marriage have been singled out for particular concern, with Internet pornography
and workplace sexual harassment
being cited by Caruana as breaking up many thousands of families, and divorce being a source of "disorder and confusion", with children becoming "as though orphans".
Speaking on behalf of the Virgin Mary, Caruana has expressed messages of support for Malta's anti-abortion perspective, saying that only "those who have cast aside Jesus Christ can regard abortion as a good thing". He has also spoken of the dangers of drug abuse, which causes those around the abuser to suffer, and which he describes as a means of "Satanic rule". The Virgin Mary's suffering in relation to mankind's wrongdoing is frequently mentioned in Caruana's messages.
In 2010, Caruana began to speak on apocalyptic themes, quoting the Virgin Mary in saying that "the time of darkness and tribulation" was near, and that Malta was fortunate to have Caruana passing on messages from Jesus via Mary. Religious conversion is a recurring theme in the messages recorded by Caruana, who calls for an "urgent conversion" from all the countries of the world, particularly Iran, Russia, America, China and Australia.
DNA tests on the blood found on a statue of the Madonna were determined to be Caruana's own blood, after he claimed the statue was crying blood because the country was talking about introducing divorce. Tests on the oil that allegedly appeared determined it to be ordinary cooking oil.
Birzebbuga
Birżebbuġa is a small but flourishing seaside resort not far from Marsaxlokk in south-east Malta. It is approximately 8 miles from the City of Valletta. Popular among Maltese holiday-makers for decades, this village is perhaps best known for its important archaeological sites, especially Għar...
in Malta, since December 2005. After perceiving several apparitions in his own home, Caruana later encountered apparitions at Borġ in-Nadur Hill, where the Virgin Mary asked him that she wished to be known as "Our Lady of Borġ in-Nadur". Caruana has since returned to the site regularly to describe this visions, in which he perceives the Virgin Mary to be communicating in Maltese, with messages urging prayer, and the spiritual conversion of all nations to Catholicism.
Although Caruana's visions have been dismissed by the Archbishop of Malta's curia
Curia
A curia in early Roman times was a subdivision of the people, i.e. more or less a tribe, and with a metonymy it came to mean also the meeting place where the tribe discussed its affairs...
, he has a number of followers who continue to visit the site, and who circulate Caruana's messages through newsletters and the internet.
History
The phenomena associated with these apparitions began in 2005, when Caruana reported that a statue of the Virgin Mary was issuing tears of blood and oil. In December 2005, Caruana perceived an apparition of the Virgin Mary, whose short message was not recorded due to the unexpected nature of the vision. A similar visitation happened 20 days later and again on the 11th of February 2006.When Caruana experienced another apparition on April 21, he took steps to record and report its message, which was: "Pray! Pray the rosary and make others pray the rosary!" Apparitions began to occur more regularly, although without any pattern, and in June 2006, Caruana reported apparitions on the 19, 23 and 30. Father Hayden Williams was notified of the events and became Caruana's spiritual director under his own initiative, without the support of the church, accompanying him on many occasions during his apparitions. The next apparition occurred on July 26, the message was:
- "Tell Fr. Hayden to tell the people that I am the Queen of Peace and I want conversion in the five countries [Iran, Australia, China, Russia and America]. And he must tell the people to pray for these five countries. This is the message for him to deliver tomorrow. For the next two weeks tell Fr. Hayden to make public the fact that I want the rosary to be said four times every day with devotion and profound meditation."
Traditionally in Malta, "a rosary" consists of the meditation on five out of the 20 available mysteries, according to a weekly schedule - Caruana's message requested the meditation of all 20 mysteries of the rosary
Rosary
The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...
every day.
Starting in December 2006, Caruana was reporting weekly apparitions on the 'Borġ in-Nadur Hill', which he described as "the special place Mother Mary has chosen for the apparitions". These apparitions included conversations with the Virgin Mary, visions of souls in Purgatory, vision of the Archangel Uriel, Satanic attacks, mystic visions of Jesus on the Cross, the apparition of the Eucharist on Caruana's hands and his subsequent Holy Communion and visions of other supernatural phenomena.
The public messages Caruana gives on Borġ in-Nadur Hill are now recorded live by the priests accompanying him, and are read out to an audience within 40 minutes. All the message are also found on the Borġ in-Nadur official website. Lengthy messages start out with "My dear children" where Caruana greets the listeners as the Virgin Mary's children. Caruana's messages have directed the pilgrims present to meditate on the rosary daily as the means to acquire peace, and have said that Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
is more of a necessity than visiting the site of Borġ in-Nadur, although Caruana has said that the Virgin Mary wanted the people to visit the site and pray as "it is a special place that she herself has chosen".
In 2010, Caruana was directed by the Virgin Mary to travel to Gozo
Gozo
Gozo is a small island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Southern European country of Malta; after the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago...
, Malta's sister island where he described further apparitions from her at a site in Xewkija
Xewkija
Xewkija is a village on Gozo Island, Malta. The population of Xewkija is 3,115 , that is the fourth largest in Gozo, after Victoria , Nadur and Xagħra .-History:...
. In 2011, Caruana travelled to the Vatican, where he climbed over a security barrier to interrupt a general audience with Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI
Benedict XVI is the 265th and current Pope, by virtue of his office of Bishop of Rome, the Sovereign of the Vatican City State and the leader of the Catholic Church as well as the other 22 sui iuris Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See...
, in order to personally deliver a letter containing "devotional messages". Caruana was escorted from the venue by Vatican security.
Other visions
Archangel UrielUriel
Uriel is one of the archangels of post-Exilic Rabbinic tradition, and also of certain Christian traditions...
is a guardian angel
Guardian angel
A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person or group. Belief in guardian angels can be traced throughout all antiquity...
who Caruana describes as being visible only to him. Caruana has spoken of how the angel can transport his soul to different places. On a particular occasion, Caruana described how his soul was transported over five hundred miles to to Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Uriel reportedly ministers the Eucharist to Caruana. Several witnesses have reported the Eucharist appearing out of nowhere, with Caruana receiving it in his hands and subsequent Holy Communion.
Caruana talks of communing with souls from Purgatory, who ask for intercession so that they might be transferred to heaven. The visits from the souls in Purgatory include a re-visitation at the time of their entrance in heaven, when Caruana is able to witness them entering the pearly gates. Caruana considers it important to pray for the departed. St. Francis of Assisi has also appeared in Caruana's visions, and has spoken to him about the need to "radically change the Church from the inside".
Caruana reports experiencing pain related to Jesus' sufferinġ Every Friday, he describes feeling the five wounds of Jesus during the Crucifixion
Crucifixion
Crucifixion is an ancient method of painful execution in which the condemned person is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead...
, and occasionally the crown of thorns and the flagellation. Caruana believes that the Virgin Mary has told him that one day he will also demonstrate visible stigmata
Stigmata
Stigmata are bodily marks, sores, or sensations of pain in locations corresponding to the crucifixion wounds of Jesus, such as the hands and feet...
of these injuries.
Caruana has described several demonic attacks on his person, and has experienced three visions of Hell. In the first vision, the Virgin Mary's hands emitted a blazing fire that extended between the cross and the bronze-age wall, passing through an assembled crowd of the damned, who Caruana saw to be blaspheming and fighting one another. Within the flames and among the people Caruana perceived many devils that had the shape of humans and animals, who began to mock the people while hovering above them. Fr. Hayden reported Caruana as asking "Why is it Lady that you are now showing me hell?" Caruana experienced a similar vision in July 2008, causing him to weep, and request a sign from the Virgin Mary. He reported her reply as a request that she would only issue such a sign following sufficient conversion.
Teachings
Some of the messages recorded by Caruana take the form of teachings, on subjects such as the existence of SatanSatan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
, the rejection of Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
as an American "party" tradition, and the variety of sins which will condemn a soul to Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, including abortion, divorce, euthanasia, pornography, drug abuse
Drug abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...
, child abuse
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
and premarital sex. Modern attitudes to marriage have been singled out for particular concern, with Internet pornography
Internet pornography
Internet pornography is pornography that is distributed by means of various sectors of the Internet, primarily via websites, peer-to-peer file sharing, or Usenet newsgroups...
and workplace sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
being cited by Caruana as breaking up many thousands of families, and divorce being a source of "disorder and confusion", with children becoming "as though orphans".
Speaking on behalf of the Virgin Mary, Caruana has expressed messages of support for Malta's anti-abortion perspective, saying that only "those who have cast aside Jesus Christ can regard abortion as a good thing". He has also spoken of the dangers of drug abuse, which causes those around the abuser to suffer, and which he describes as a means of "Satanic rule". The Virgin Mary's suffering in relation to mankind's wrongdoing is frequently mentioned in Caruana's messages.
In 2010, Caruana began to speak on apocalyptic themes, quoting the Virgin Mary in saying that "the time of darkness and tribulation" was near, and that Malta was fortunate to have Caruana passing on messages from Jesus via Mary. Religious conversion is a recurring theme in the messages recorded by Caruana, who calls for an "urgent conversion" from all the countries of the world, particularly Iran, Russia, America, China and Australia.
The prophecy of the future stream of water
Caruana has given messages which predict future events relating to the apparitions. On the 5 of August 2009, Caruana reported that the Virgin Mary had promised that a miraculous stream of water would issue from the plant planted by the foot of the cross at Borġ in-Nadur Hill. In June 2010, Caruana reported another message about the promised miraculous stream of water from the plant and said that the time when this will happen was "not far off". Again on 4 August 2010, a year after the first prediction, Caruana reported a message from the apparition which said "the time is fast approaching! The time for which my Son Jesus has sent me is near. Indeed, my children, soon the flow of water up here will be created."Criticism
Angelic Caruana's visions are regarded as genuine only by a select group of followers, the majority of the Maltese population have very little consideration for the described visions.DNA tests on the blood found on a statue of the Madonna were determined to be Caruana's own blood, after he claimed the statue was crying blood because the country was talking about introducing divorce. Tests on the oil that allegedly appeared determined it to be ordinary cooking oil.