Miraculous images of the Blessed Virgin Mary, The Holy Face and other unearthly images first appeared on a greenhouse window in Ile-a-la-Crosse, northern Saskatchewan, Canada in September. Soon after that, images began appearing farther north in the remote community of Fond-du-Lac where hundreds immediately flocked to see the images on a living room window that were illuminated by "rainbow" colours. The third community, Black Lake, not far from the second, had experiienced the same. Then in January, the images occured in Beauval, a small town not far from Ile-a-la-Crosse on more than one home. Near the end of the month a spectacular six-foot representation of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in Canoe Narrows prompting prayer and packed churches. The images that have drawn at least 10,000 are prompting, what many call, a revival of the Catholic faith in northern Saskatchewan… or even further. See more about the Canadian miraculous images at www.OurLadyweb.com

February 23, 2002

Canadian Archbishop Speaks Publicly on Virgin Mary Images in Saskatchewan

In an unprecedented move, Canadian Archbishop Peter Sutton spoke publicly on the images of the Virgin Mary appearing on windows of unpretentious homes throughout northern Saskatchewan. Although he says the visions and apparitions are strictly personal, the Archbishop offered guidance on the events for the thousands who heard him speak on a local radio station.

All this will be judged by the lives of people who claim there is a message. If it is good it will endure. Six separate northern communities, over a widespread area, have received the Virgin Mary images that have attracted over 10,000 people since September of last year. Four of these communities with the phenomena are located in the Archdiocese of Keewatin - Le Pas, Archbishop Sutton’s Diocese.

The Archbishop’s twenty-minute interview, aired on February 14, summarized the Church’s position on the reported apparitions and expressed that the images should be leading people to live the Gospel of Christ. “One cannot deny that we are living in apocalyptic times,” Archbishop Sutton says, “but we must take caution when saying such things are miraculous.”

His Grace says that from what he has heard there does not seem to be an expressed message attached to the visions. “One cannot downplay prayer, coming or returning to church, etc. — hardly a new message or challenge,” he states. “I guess all this will be judged by the lives of people who claim there is a message.” In his interview, the Bishop noted that it was rare when the Church gets involved. Experts also say that any involvement of the Church on these matters is certainly unusual.

Rev. Thomas Thompson, Director of the International Marian Research Institute at the University of Dayton, documents dozens of reported apparitions from around the world. “Unless there are clear signs there are miraculous events going on, the local church does not get involved,” Thompson says. “If there's something contrary to Church teaching, the church may get involved.”

The author of this article recently received a statement from Archbishop Sutton in which he affirms the Church’s position and provides insight on the reported phenomena. The Bishop writes he was visited by a couple from the northern community of Ile-a-la-Crosse, where the image first appeared; “They were very calm, spoke about what they saw the first night. They added nothing except that they could not explain and did not understand.”

Archbishop Sutton says he finds nothing contrary to the Church’s teachings. “That people want to pray cannot be faulted,” he says. “My faith in and devotion to Mary, Our Mother does not depend on sightings but on the Church’s authorative teachings.” Lest he be interpreted as being against devotion to Mary, he heartily refers the faithful to what the Bible and the Church’s documents say about Our Lady. He adds that the Church is extremely slow to authenticate visions, apparitions, voices, etc.

In the Archbishop’s remarks, he brings to light a different miracle, one he calls the greatest mystery of the Church, the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. “This of course does not impress the news media!” he says. “Do we get as excited about This Real Presence?”

To those in Saskatchewan the Archdiocese’s action came as an encouraging surprise and many believe it is a good sign for the Virgin Mary images.

“If all this is good it will endure,” Archbishop Sutton says.—Joshua Caswell, Brabant Lake Times

April 3, 2003

New Images appearing in Canoe narrows and Wollaston Lake.

The two photos above are of the Virgin Mary image in Canoe Narrows. The second one shows a green backdrop that was placed behind the window. The Holy Face and Ste. Marguerite d'Youville are seen on the window in real life, but they cannot be seen in these photos because of the poor quality.

The photo on the far right is a Virgin Mary image in Wollaston Lake. A statue is placed below the image. Residents say the image was accompanied by an image of the Holy Face of Jesus as was the case in the five other communities.

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