Mary of the Day (December 1, 1876 ) – Mary, Comfort of the Afflicted (Our Lady of Advent), Mettenbuch, Germany

In 1876, 4 children were visited by the Virgin, the Lord, St. Joseph and several angels from December 1st to 21st.

130 years later, a small Chapel testifies to this appearances and pilgrims recall the facts that were originally opposed by the authority of the Church then. 

HISTORY OF THE APPARITION
 Mettenbuch is a town in Bavaria, who became famous during the period of the Kulturkampf (conflict between the German Empire and the Catholic Church) because of intense supernatural events in the vicinity of the monastery of Metten (Deggendorf). That is it is also related to healing Barbara Eder possession.

The apparitions have appeared in the period between 1 and December 21, 1876 and again last time, Maria SS. appeared in 1878. The seers, NC Kraus, Francisco Javier Kraus, Teresa Sack Liebl and Matilda, all were aged between eight and fourteen, some adults and other children saw part of some of the apparitions.

The boys had the privilege of receiving the apparitions of the Virgin, the Infant Jesus and sometimes also of St. Joseph and several categories of angels and saints, and see luminous phenomena.
These events were recorded in detail by the pastor and the bishop of Regensburg Senestrey Ignazio responsible. The latter, however, he distanced himself from the apparitions decided to suspend the investigation against his decision, several teachers, writers, priests and monks of the monastery of Metten, who protested to Rome declared.
The apparitions are reported in the significant period of Advent and Christmas. SS Mary appeared to the faithful as “Comforter of the Afflicted,” and later was called by the people “Mother of God of Advent.” Supernatural phenomena, of which the children were witnesses can be summarized as follows.

OCTOBER 1876
Some people realized luminous phenomena in the adjacent forest Mettenbuch on top of a cliff. Witnesses said they then saw red, blue and white lights, one meter above the ground, which crossed each other to create a strange game colors.
 
It was thought that these lights were the poor souls in purgatory in search of prayer and support on Earth. The next day, at nightfall, many people in the Bavarian town entered the forest, where they had seen the light, and prayed for the souls in purgatory reciting the Litany of Loreto. The lights were not displayed every night and when they did the only saw four children, most adults could not see.
 
DECEMBER 1
Between 19 and 20 pm, three children were absorbed in prayer with others in entradda forest. Unexpectedly there appeared a diaphanous light and then more and more intense than acquiring the appearance of the Child Jesus, radiant and a robe red, with a bare upper body and the appearance lasted about two minutes.

DECEMBER 2
The children, Catherine, aged six, and Francisco Javier ten years, saw Jesus again. Appeared the child sitting on the lap of her mother, who in turn sat on a chair. Our Lady showed a face full of joy unspeakable and was wrapped in a robe of blue, bluer than the sky, with white socks and gold shoes, a white veil fell from head to half of the tunic. 

She told the boys: “I am the Comforter of the Afflicted.” Behind her suddenly appeared the figure of Saint Joseph and the two sides, right and left of the Mother of God had appeared angelic figures.
Our Lady also said. “On this place build a chapel, a simple chapel” La Holy Virgin advises children to confess, while mothers were to tell the priest about the events in order to convince him to build chapel.

Little Catherine saw nothing, and Francisco remained silent throughout the day. He prayed beside the creek, reciting the Rosary and was encouraged by his mother to say what I saw.
 In addition to the allegations the boys were at this time many other visions and apparitions. In the following days showed tired, a little confused and very pale.
Numerous apparitions and visions continued until December 21 presented the following content:
– Jesus Christ returned again, wearing a green crown of thorns on his head bleeding. His face was very sad and had a blue dress around the body and a red cloak, with bare feet. The vision of this passion lasted about half an hour and silent.
– Assumption of the Virgin between two angels.
– Mary as Queen of Heaven wrapped in a brilliant light, with a high crown. As was seen by Francisco Javier, his companions saw a light around her. This occurrence took place during the recitation of prayers.

– Again, Mary appeared to the children and accompanied them to the creek, then said, “Here’s our altar for today” They knelt seven times during the trip.. One day the Blessed Virgin warned Javier and the other to withdraw because the police came.
– The angels appeared to the family Liebl components while reciting the Rosary. Francisco kissed the feet of angels.
– Silent Emergence of angels with musical instruments.
– Appearance of some men “with a large box of medals” (perhaps the three wise men with their treasures).
– Vision of a table with a large gold fish.
– The Blessed Virgin Mary appears showing three gold chains around his neck, the longest hung a heart of gold, which ended at the chest of the Virgin.

– The Blessed Virgin and Child between two angels in a very small cloud, blessed them and then disappears high in the sky.
– Jesus Christ, with a red cloak and a blue dress, accompanied by two angels up to the sublime heights of heaven.
– The children saw Mary he had something in his hand like a bowl of gold and he consecrated the crown Rosaries children. Then, the Mother of God blessed them and disappeared.
– On December 21, in the afternoon, the Virgin Mary appeared to Matilde Sack and said that this was his last appearance in this cycle, but would return after three years and would have to wait near the throat of the forest. Maria SS once again urges the construction of a chapel.
– Small lights, but highly fluorescent, were seen by many people. The seers saw them for a moment become as large oval bright sunshine in the figures of Mary and the child Jesus saw the suffering Christ, and angels and patron saints.
In this intense period of the apparitions, the Virgin SS, did not leave long messages, only the following statements:
“If you meditate daily the Rosary will receive the grace of the Lord.” 
“If they (Guiseppe, Caterina and Luigi, who were often sighted, but never saw appearances) if they pray diligently, you will see something on the last day of the apparitions” (actually saw the radiant light of Mary, Queen of Heaven).

Francisco Javier were left with some spiritual symbolic maxims with simplicity, but had difficultly to remember it as the child . The maxims was roughly the following: “The Holy Angels in a golden splendor remain near you / winter and summer are with you / were reared in Eden / The roses in the garden were expected in the summer”,  Even Caroline Kraus. Teresa Liebl heard of devotional “mysteries” such as “If you pray diligently war end soon” 
 
After December 21 seers and adults keep coming back for a few weeks to pray in the throat, but there was no appearance more. In 1878, Francis had a brief vision: a double star with blue and white rays: the Mother of God and Jesus Crucified. 
 
Investigations

The Senestrey bishop had always maintained a hostile regard for these supernatural events, had even interrogate and intimidate children.
 
Although the church recognized the twenties Barbara Eder, was miraculously cured bathing in the fountain spouting the forest. Barbara was the subject of very serious forms of ownership and contact with that source of spring water in the forest, where they had lived supernatural phenomena, was healed (after the miracle, she had a devout life and became a mystic devotee) . Despite the extraordinary cure, Bishop refused the investigation of the phenomena.
 
Seers were subjected to interrogations conducted by Bishop Snestreypersonally a lot of pressure and depriving children of liberty. After months of solitary confinement almost all children break down and sign a statement that it lied about the phenomena. Only thereafter Bishop was happy.

 
Inquisitorial methods of interrogation would now treated with “imprisonment for unlawful detention, isolation, torture and child abuse.” By their conduct and zeal, Bishop Senestrey has lost credibility to the Church and a rich supernatural material while offending the Lord and His Mother.
 
On January 23, 1879, Senestrey instructed to be read in all the churches of his diocese a pastoral letter in which he describes the phenomena of Mettenbuch as false. No Catholic should approach them. Despite church opposition and Mettenbuch, it became a place of pilgrimage.
 
The bishop resigned during the year 1879, but not before destroying all traces found of the apparition, the objects of devotions, publications, etc.. It was forbidden to talk about the apparition.
 
Matilde was excommunicated for life and the other children were denied communion. The two Benedictine monks who supported the appearance were suspended until the end of their life. They died without their priestly privileges.
 
With the death of these two monks, Father Francis Nock and Father Hugo Dieringer, the monks of the monastery of Metten who were in favor of opening the ecclesiastical investigation, the hope of a possible recognition disappeared along with the possibility of building a memorial chapel in the woods . Senestrey successor Bishop Rudolf Graber, bishop of Regensburg said,

“is not a chapter Mettenbuch to forget, everything is still to be proven”

On June 7, 1887, 10 years after the apparitions, children, now teenagers, and they publicly recanted their previous confessions to the former Bishop. The explanation begins with the words:

“The time seems to have come when actually, we can offset the evil we have done against the Virgin in 1878, .. we retract our earlier confession. We’ve made it in a moment of fear and confusion, regret and never stop. “

The subsequent history of sighted children are lost in history know that Francisco Javier learned the trade of bricklayer and later lived in the attic of the Benedictine Abbey of Metten in a cell type.
In the following years more than 100,000 believers pilgrimage to Metten. Even today people still pilgrimage to this place of grace to seek the help of “Mary, comforter of the afflicted,” and then going to the water source to bring water to their house.

With the passage of time, a small chapel was built, the image of the Virgin were incorporated, the cross with the crucified, pictures of angels, a tap to draw water from the fountain, and benches where he usually sits locals and pilgrims to pray, especially at a time when the great Marian feasts and December in Advent.

Sources:

http://www.mariancalendar.org/mary-comforter-of-the-afflicted/

https://biscobreak.altervista.org/2016/11/maria-consolatrice-degli-afflitti/.

Photo:

Foto 1 – Di Ritter Ellen – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21786765