Apparition
Apparitions of Our Lady of Gietrzwałd
Church-approved Marian apparition · Gietrzwałd, Warmia, Poland, 1877
Between 27 June and 16 September 1877 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared at Gietrzwałd in Warmia to two peasant girls, Justyna Szafryńska and Barbara Samulowska, identifying herself as the Immaculate Conception and calling for the daily Rosary. On 11 September 1977, the centenary of the events, Bishop Józef Drzazga of Warmia formally recognised the apparitions — the only Marian apparitions approved by the Church in Poland.
Background
The apparitions took place under Prussian rule during the Kulturkampf, when Polish-speaking Catholics of Warmia were under heavy pressure; Our Lady spoke to the children in Polish, and the memory of that fact strengthened the faith and the language of the region. Both visionaries later entered the Sisters of Charity. The centenary celebration at which the recognition was announced was presided over by Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, Archbishop of Kraków, thirteen months before his election as Pope John Paul II. The shrine at Gietrzwałd is a place of pilgrimage, with a spring venerated since the time of the apparitions.
Location
Gietrzwałd, Warmia
Country
Poland
Approved status
Approved
Year of apparition
1877
Visionaries
- Justyna Szafryńska
- Barbara Samulowska
Message highlights
Our Lady identified herself as the Immaculate Conception.
She asked that the Rosary be prayed daily.
Subject
marian
Decision year
1977
Content subtype
approved_apparition
Decision authority
Bishop Józef Drzazga of Warmia