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'I WILL CONVERT 
 SINNERS" 
 
 Our Lady's Apparitions at 
 Beauraing, 1932-1933 
 
 By 
 
 DON SHARKEY 
 
 SECOND PRINTING 
 
 DIVINE WORD MISSIONARY PUBLICATIONS 
 TECH NY, ILLINOIS 
 
FOREWORD 
 
 "It was through Mary that the salva- 
 tion of the world was begun and it is 
 through Mary that it must be consum- 
 mated. Mary hardly appeared at all in the 
 first coming of Jesus Christ, but in the 
 second coming. . . . Mary has to be made 
 known and revealed by the Holy Ghost, 
 in order that through Her, Jesus Christ 
 may be known, loved and served/' 
 
 St. Louis Marie de Montfort, ("True 
 Devotion") 
 
 "Our Lady is pleading with us to help 
 her save the world from the terrible results 
 of its own sins. The very least we can do 
 is to read her message. After that, we 
 must act upon it." 
 
 Don Sharkey, in "The Woman Shall 
 Conquer." 
 
 Nihil Obstat. Michael Noonan, S.M., S.T.D., Diocesan Censor 
 Imprimatur. Richard J. Cushing, Archbishop of Boston 
 
 March 12, 1955 
 
 2 
 
"I WILL CONVERT SINNERS" 
 
 THE STORY OF OUR LADY'S APPARITIONS 
 AT BEAURAING, 1932-1933 
 
 Almost every American Catholic has 
 heard the story of Our Lady's appear- 
 ance at Lourdes in 1858. 
 
 Almost every American Catholic has 
 also heard the story of her apparitions at 
 Fatima in 1917. 
 
 Less well known, on this side of the 
 Atlantic, is the story of her appearances at 
 Beauraing (Bo rang), Belgium, in 1932 
 and 1933. 
 
 Beauraing deserves to be more widely 
 known in the United States. The words 
 which Our Lady spoke at Beauraing are 
 meant for all the world, not just for the 
 five children to whom she spoke, and not 
 just for the people of Europe. 
 
 Beauraing is a town of about 2,000 
 people in the Walloon, or French speak- 
 ing, part of Belgium. It is twelve miles 
 from the city of Dinant and five miles 
 from the French border. 
 
 At one time the inhabitants of the area 
 had been staunch Catholics, but by 1932 
 many of them had drifted away from the 
 Church. Some were merely indifferent 
 toward the Catholic faith; others were 
 hostile to it. The Socialists, who made no 
 secret of their opposition to the Church, 
 carried the district in most elections. 
 
 3 
 
THE EVENTS 
 
 First Apparition 
 
 Gilberte Voisin, a 13 -year old girl of 
 Beauraing, attended a school taught by the 
 Sisters of the Christian Doctrine. Her fa- 
 ther, an official at the local railway sta- 
 tion, allowed her to attend this school 
 despite the fact that neither he nor his 
 wife went to church. Gilberte, a very 
 religious girl, had long been praying that 
 her parents would return to the Church. 
 
 On the evening of November 29, 1932, 
 Fernande and Albert Voisin started to- 
 ward the school to walk home with their 
 sister. Fernando was 15, and her brother, 
 Albert, was 1 1 . 
 
 They were joined by Andree Degeimbre, 
 14, and her sister, Gilberte, 9y>. We see, 
 then, that there are two Gilbertes involved 
 in this story. It will simplify matters if 
 we call them Gilberte V. and Gilberte D. 
 Albert was the only boy among the five. 
 
 The two older children walked arm in 
 arm. Albert and Gilberte D. amused 
 themselves by ringing the doorbells of the 
 houses they passed. 
 
 After a short walk, they came to the 
 convent where the school was located. 
 Just past the convent the street was crossed 
 by a railroad viaduct. The railroad em- 
 bankment ran behind the convent and 
 grounds. The convent was on the right 
 hand side of the street as the children faced 
 the railroad embankment. The convent 
 and grounds were bordered by a fence. 
 Just inside the fence was a garden. In the 
 garden was a Kourdes grotto which helped 
 
 4 
 
hide the unsightly railroad embankment. 
 The large house which contained the con- 
 vent and the school stood in front of the 
 embankment. 
 
 The children went to the front door of 
 the house and rang the bell. They waited 
 for Gilberte V. to come out. 
 
 "Look!" Albert exclaimed suddenly. 
 "The Blessed Virgin walking on that 
 bridge!" 
 
 The other children turned and beheld 
 'the figure of a Lady, dressed in a long 
 robe of pure white." She appeared to be 
 walking, or gliding, on the viaduct. Gil- 
 berte V. came out. She wondered what 
 the others were looking at so intently. 
 Then she, too, saw the vision. 
 
 The children ran home to tell what they 
 had seen. Nobody believed the story. In the 
 face of universal skepticism the children 
 stuck to their story and would not be 
 swayed by any outside influence. Their 
 minds were preoccupied with one thought: 
 Would they see the Lady again ?" And 
 there was no more ringing of doorbells. 
 
 More Trouble 
 
 The next night the four children again 
 walked to the school to meet Gilberte V. 
 Once more al! five of them beheld the 
 figure in white walking back and forth 
 on the railroad embankment. 
 
 The children ran into Madame Deg- 
 eimbre's house shouting: "We've seen her! 
 It is the Blessed Virgin, and she is much 
 more beautiful than any of her statues!" 
 
 Madame Degeimbre was furious. She 
 told her children that they must not go to 
 the convent again. c 
 
The whole town was talking about the 
 apparitions. Madame Degeimbre, who was 
 a widow, decided that the matter must 
 be settled once and for all. She would 
 expose the people who were tricking her 
 children. On December 1, armed with a 
 big stick, she accompanied the four chil- 
 dren to the convent. 
 
 Scarcely had they reached the garden 
 when the children came face to face with 
 the Lady. She was near the Lourdes grot- 
 to this time. She was dressed entirely in 
 white and there were golden rays like a 
 diadem around her head. She appeared to 
 be standing on a cloud. Her feet were not 
 visible. She extended her arms slowly and 
 then disappeared. 
 
 Madame Degeimbre, who could see 
 nothing, sent the four children to get Gil- 
 berte V. Then, with her stick, she 
 thrashed about in the bushes for the per- 
 son who was playing tricks on her chil- 
 dren. 
 
 As soon as the children returned from 
 the convent, the vision reappeared as glo- 
 rious as ever. A few moments later, as 
 the children left the convent yard, the 
 vision was visible at the gate. This time 
 the Lady appeared near the lowest branch 
 of a hawthorn tree, just inside the gar- 
 den fence. This was where she appeared 
 for all the remaining apparitions. Gilberte 
 D., the youngest of the five children was 
 overcome with emotion. She had to be 
 taken home. Gilberte V. stayed with her. 
 The other three children returned to the 
 
 6 
 
convent, and they beheld the vision for 
 the fourth time that evening. 
 
 Madame Degeimbre was so struck by 
 the effect of the apparition on the children 
 that she began to waver in her doubt, but 
 it was not until before the last apparition 
 that she completely believed her children. 
 Monsieur Voisin searched the ground with a 
 torch but could find no sign of fraud. The 
 parents went to the parish priest, Abbe 
 Lambert. He advised them to discuss the 
 matter with no one. It was difficult to 
 heed this advice, because everyone was ask- 
 ing about the apparition. 
 
 The next day Mother Theophile, su- 
 perior of the convent, told the children not 
 to speak again of the apparitions. She also 
 told them to stay out of the convent 
 garden. 
 
 That evening the children's mothers 
 asked them to go to the convent to meet 
 Gilberte V. They could not disobey their 
 mothers, so they found themselves in the 
 garden once more. Again, they saw the 
 vision, this time even more clearly than 
 before. 
 
 The Vision 
 
 The Lady looked young, about 1 8 or 
 20. Her smile lighted up all her features. 
 Her eyes were a beautiful deep blue. She 
 wore a long, white, heavily pleated un- 
 belted dress. The children said that three 
 rays of blue azure draped the dress, ob- 
 liquely, from the left shoulder to the hem. 
 A rosary hung from her arm. 
 
 Albert asked, "Are you the Immaculate 
 Virgin?" 
 
 The Lady smiled and nodded her head. 
 
 7 
 
"What do you want?" Albert asked. 
 
 Then came the first words uttered by 
 Our Lady at Beauraing: "Always be 
 good/' 
 
 Our Lady's hands had been joined as 
 if in prayer. Before she left she opened 
 up her arms as if giving the children a fare- 
 well embrace. Then she disappeared. 
 
 Abbe Lambert thought the message 
 sounded like something the children had 
 thought up. He could not bring himself 
 to believe that the Blessed Virgin would 
 make such a trite remark as: "Always be 
 good/* 
 
 Mother Theophile ordered the gates of 
 the garden locked at dusk, and she put two 
 fierce dogs inside. 
 
 On Saturday, in obedience to the Su- 
 perior, the children stayed away from the 
 garden. They were sad because they 
 would not see their Lady that day. At 
 dusk, when Mother Theophile went out 
 to lock the garden gate, she found a crowd 
 of 150 standing in the street. 
 
 "You are wasting your time here," 
 Mother Theophile said. "There is noth- 
 ing to see." 
 
 "What a Socialist we have in this 
 woman," said a member of the crowd. 
 "She has less belief in this business than 
 we have." 
 
 The next day, Mother Theophile re- 
 lented. She said that because the children 
 had obeyed her they could again come to 
 the garden. 
 
 The apparitions continued. For the first 
 few apparitions in the garden, the Lady 
 was already visible when the children got 
 
 8 
 
there. Later, she became visible after the 
 children had begun to recite the rosary. 
 They had formed the habit of saying the 
 rosary as soon as they arrived in the gar- 
 den. Each time Our Lady appeared, the 
 children felt themselves drawn to a kneel- 
 ing position, almost as if they were 
 thrown to their knees. 
 
 Our Lady asked the children to come 
 and pray to her in the evenings. Thus, 
 after the day's work, great crowds would 
 mingle with the children and witness their 
 rapture even if they could not see the 
 vision. The crowds grew constantly, and 
 people came even from distant parts of the 
 country. 
 
 Crowds for December 8 
 
 On several occasions Our Lady told the 
 children that she wished them to be pres- 
 ent on the Feast of the Immaculate Con- 
 ception. Because the day had been speci- 
 fically mentioned, the crowd was even 
 larger than usual on December 8. About 
 15,000 people were there. No doubt 
 some of the people were expecting a great 
 sign, similar to the Miracle of the Sun at 
 Fatima. Nothing of that kind occurred, 
 but there was something interesting. 
 
 The children arrived at ten minutes 
 past six. They were escorted by their par- 
 ents and were accompanied by a number 
 of doctors and psychologists. The chil- 
 dren beheld the vision as soon as they 
 reached the gate. The garden was illu- 
 minated brightly, but the vision was much 
 more radiant than the electric lights. 
 
 9 
 
Gilberte D. wept. Dr. Maistriaux asked 
 her why. 
 
 "Because she is so beautiful," Gilberte 
 answered. 
 
 A few seconds later the doctor asked 
 her another question. She failed to an- 
 swer. Each child was examined in turn by 
 different doctors. All were found to be 
 in a state of complete ecstasy. 
 
 Dr. Lurquin, of Houyet, held a lighted 
 match under Gilberte V.'s left hand. She 
 did not notice it. Other doctors pinched, 
 slapped, and pricked the five children. They 
 shined flashlights into their eyes. There 
 was no reaction. 
 
 All this time, the huge crowd was say- 
 ing the Rosary. As soon as they com- 
 pleted the last decade, Our Lady disap- 
 peared. 
 
 "She is gone!" cried the children. They 
 had tears in their eyes. 
 
 Later, Fernande said: "I could see noth- 
 ing, neither fence, nor tree, nor crowd: 
 only the Holy Virgin who smiled at us." 
 
 The doctors examined Gilberte V.'s 
 hand and could not find the slightest trace 
 of burning. When they had completed 
 their examination she said to her father: 
 "Just think of it! They tried to tell me 
 that they had pricked and burned me!" 
 
 Remaining Apparitions 
 
 On December 1 7, Our Lady asked for 
 a chapel. She said she wished the chapel 
 "in order that people might come here on 
 pilgrimages." 
 
 10 
 
Four days later she said: "I am the 
 Immaculate Virgin." 
 
 A few days after that she said: "Soon 
 I shall appear for the last time." 
 
 On December 29, the Blessed Virgin 
 opened her arms in the usual gesture of 
 farewell. In doing so, she revealed in the 
 region of her chest a Heart of Gold, sur- 
 rounded by glittering rays. This was the 
 Immaculate Heart of the Mother of God. 
 This Heart was displayed in all the re- 
 maining apparitions at Beauraing. 
 
 The next evening Our Lady said: 
 Pray. Pray very much." 
 
 On January 1, she said to Gilberte V. : 
 Pray always." 
 
 On January 2, she said: "Tomorrow 
 I will speak to each one of you sepa- 
 rately." 
 
 A great crowd was on hand for the 
 last appearance, January 3, 1933. Four 
 of the children gave a joyous shout as 
 the apparition began. Fernande sobbed 
 because she could not see the vision. 
 
 As she had promised, Our Lady talked 
 to each child separately. 
 
 To Andree, she said: "I am the Mother 
 of God, the Queen of Heaven. Pray Al- 
 ways. Goodbye." 
 
 To Gilberte V. Our Lady made a great 
 promise: "I will convert sinners. Good- 
 bye." 
 
 To Albert and to Gilberte D. she sim- 
 ply said: "Goodbye." 
 
 When the vision was over, Fernande, 
 who was grief stricken at not seeing her 
 Lady, remained kneeling. Suddenly, she 
 heard a crashing noise, and she saw a 
 
 l 1 
 
great ball of fire on the tree. Then she 
 saw the Blessed Virgin. 
 
 "Do you love my Son?" Our Lady 
 asked. 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Do you love me?" 
 "Yes." 
 
 "Then, sacrifice yourself for me." 
 
 She extended her arms in the usual fare- 
 well gesture. she did so, she shone 
 more brightly than ever. She showed Fer- 
 nande her Heart. 
 
 Then, she said: "Goodbye." 
 
 Fernande wept because she was sure 
 that she would never again in this world 
 see the beautiful vision of Our Lady. 
 
 Afterward, the three youngest children 
 said that Our Lady had told each of 
 them a personal message which they might 
 not tell to anyone, not even to each other. 
 
 REACTIONS — CURES 
 
 The story of the apparitions caused a 
 sensation all over Europe. Some authori- 
 ties said the children were frauds. Others 
 said they were victims of hallucinations. 
 In 1934 and 1935, a number of books 
 and magazine articles were written for the 
 purpose of "exposing" Beauraing. Through 
 all this, the great majority of the people 
 and the clergy believed the story of the 
 children. Many pilgrimages were made to 
 the site of apparitions. 
 
 Gradually, doubt and skepticism disap- 
 peared as the facts of the story became 
 
 12 
 
known and as the results were observed. 
 
 The children remained in Beauraing 
 and led lives as close to normal as was 
 possible under the circumstances. They 
 visited the hawthorn tree each day to say 
 the Rosary. Often they were besieged by 
 pilgrims, by curiosity seekers, and by those 
 who had come to scoff. They bore such 
 ordeals with amazing patience. 
 
 After the Bishop set up an Episcopal 
 Commission to investigate the events, the 
 children underwent long and severe ex- 
 aminations. They once had to appear be- 
 fore a "tribunal" of 90 doctors. In the 
 course of the investigation, the children 
 never varied their stories and they never 
 contradicted each other when interviewed 
 separately. 
 
 Pilgrims came from the very beginning, 
 even in the period when it was so fash- 
 ionable to "expose" Beauraing. There 
 were two million pilgrims the first year. 
 On a single Sunday, 25,000 people re- 
 ceived Communion in the parish church. 
 
 Miraculous Cures 
 
 Many cures were reported by pilgrims. 
 There was Miss Maria Van Laer, for ex- 
 ample. 
 
 Miss Van Laer was a patient in a hos- 
 pital conducted by the Franciscan Sisters 
 of the Holy Family, in Turnhout, Bel- 
 gium. She had been a helpless invalid for 
 16 of her 33 years. Hers was a tubercular 
 condition. Her spinal column was de- 
 
 13 
 
formed, one of her legs was diseased, and 
 she had large tumors which had developed 
 into open sores. The doctors said that an 
 operation would be fatal, and they held 
 out no hope for her recovery. 
 
 Against the wishes of her family and 
 the Franciscan Sisters, Miss Van Laer was 
 taken to Beauraing on June 24, 1933. 
 Her stretcher was taken to the hawthorn 
 tree where she remained for some time. 
 Then she visited the Degeimbre home. Dur- 
 ing a second visit to the hawthorn tree, 
 she said she was feeling better. She slept 
 in the ambulance on the way home. When 
 she reached Turnhout, at midnight, she 
 awoke and found herself cured. No pains, 
 no tumors, no sores, and no deformities! 
 Today, Miss Van Laer is Sister Pudentia 
 of the Franciscan Sisters of the Holy Fam- 
 ily and is well able to carry out her ardu- 
 ous duties as a nurse. 
 
 Miss Van Laer's cure was one of those 
 investigated by the Episcopal Commission 
 which the Bishop appointed to investigate 
 the events at Beauraing. In 1949, Bishop 
 Charue declared the cure to be an authen- 
 tic miracle. 
 
 Conversions 
 
 More important than the physical cures 
 are the spiritual cures. Among the earliest 
 of the converts were the parents of the 
 Voisin children; they returned to the sac- 
 raments after an absence of many years. 
 
 Here is one of the most famous of the 
 conversion stories: 
 
 14 
 
A young man gave up his faith and 
 became a Communist. He was made editor 
 of the Belgian Communist newspaper, "Le 
 Drapeau Rouge" (The Red Flag). Dur- 
 ing the war he was arrested by the Ger- 
 mans, and since the Nazis had little use 
 for the Communists, his life was in grave 
 danger. His mother had never ceased to 
 pray that he would come back to the 
 Church. After he was arrested, she knelt 
 in front of a statue of the Blessed Mother 
 and prayed: "I was never able to do much 
 with him. I do not ask you, good Mother, 
 to see him alive, but please give him the 
 grace to die in the Church. I give you my 
 son. Do with him as you see fit!" 
 
 In prison, the young man remembered 
 the Blessed Virgin and promised to return 
 to the faith if he were liberated. He was 
 freed, but he did not keep his promise. 
 He was imprisoned again and freed again. 
 Still he did not return to the faith. 
 
 In September, 1945, the young man 
 was haunted by the thought that he 
 should visit Beauraing. He tried to banish 
 the thought, but he could not do so. He 
 gave in and went to Beauraing, although 
 he did not have the least bit of faith. He 
 stood in the enclosure, facing the haw- 
 thorn, unable to pray. Suddenly, he was 
 thrown to the ground. "I was trying to 
 protect myself from the fall," he said, 
 "and I fell, hanging onto the back of the 
 last bench. For a long time I saw noth- 
 ing but the figure of Our Lady in the 
 hawthorn. A complete transformation 
 was produced in me. I cried over my past 
 life. But I also cried for joy, conscious 
 
 15 
 
that something new had entered my soul/' 
 
 The following day the former Com- 
 munist editor went to confession and re- 
 ceived Holy Communion. He now re- 
 ceives Communion every day. He is a 
 fervent tertiary of St. Dominic, and was 
 in one of the first Legion of Mary groups 
 in Belgium. 
 
 Many other conversions have been re- 
 ported among people from many different 
 countries These conversions are called 
 "The Great Invisible Treasure of Beau- 
 raing." They recall Our Lady's promise: 
 "I will convert sinners/' 
 
 THE CHURCH'S ATTITUDE 
 
 In 1 935, the Bishop of Namur, the dio- 
 cese in which Beauraing is located, ap- 
 pointed an Episcopal Commission to in- 
 vestigate the events. The Bishop died, and 
 the investigation continued under his suc- 
 cessor, Bishop Andre-Marie Charue. 
 
 First Approval 
 
 Bishop Charue received from Rome a 
 decree dated December 7, 1942, and ap- 
 proved by Pope Pius XII, which granted 
 him complete liberty to proceed toward 
 canonical recognition. 
 
 On February 2, 1943, the Bishop pub- 
 lished a decree which authorized public 
 devotions to "Our Lady of Beauraing." 
 This was during the dark days when the 
 Germans were occupying Belgium, and 
 the people took great comfort from the 
 development. 
 
 • 
 
 16 
 
On May 16 of the same year, Bishop 
 Charue solemnly inaugurated this devo- 
 tion at a great ceremony attended by 
 24,000 people. This was a large crowd 
 for war days. 
 
 The Bishop blessed a large statue of Our 
 Lady of Beauraing on August 22, 1946, 
 the Feast of the Immaculate Heart. The 
 statue stands under the hawthorn tree, 
 where Our Lady had appeared. 
 
 Pilgrimages of Penance 
 
 Pope Pius XII granted a private inter- 
 view to the Bishop of Namur on July 18, 
 1947. He gave his blessing to the Sanc- 
 tuary and the pilgrimages of penance. 
 These pilgrimages are held on the second 
 and third Sundays of each month, from 
 May to November. The pilgrims walk 12 
 miles to Beauraing, praying as they go. 
 
 The cornerstone of the chapel was laid 
 on the Feast of the Imaculate Heart, 1947, 
 and the chapel was consecrated August 
 21, 1954. This is the chapel which Our 
 Lady requested. It is near the place of 
 the apparitions, and with its confessionals, 
 gives Our Lady the opportunity to con- 
 vert souls. 
 
 The hawthorn tree is surrounded by 
 bronze railings which serve as a gigantic 
 votive candle stand. Beneath the tree is 
 the statue of Our Lady of Beauraing, the 
 Virgin with a Golden Heart. An open 
 air altar stands on the spot where the 
 Lourdes grotto used to be. 
 
 The Pro Maria Committee has bought 
 the old feudal castle which stands on a 
 
 17 
 
hill above the village. The castle is being 
 used as a retreat house, and a beautiful 
 basilica will be built on the grounds. 
 
 Final Approbation 
 
 On July 2, 1949, the Bishop released 
 two important documents relating to 
 Beauraing. One was an episcopal decree 
 recognizing as authentic miracles two of 
 the many cures credited to Our Lady of 
 Beauraing. One was the cure of Miss Van 
 Laer, about whom we have read. The 
 other was the cure of Mrs. Acar who was 
 cured of a tumor of the womb on July 
 30, 1933. 
 
 The other document of July 2, 1949 
 was a letter from the Bishop to the clergy 
 of his diocese. The Bishop said: "We are 
 able in all serenity and prudence to affirm 
 that the Queen of Heaven appeared to 
 the children of Beauraing during the win- 
 ter of 1932-33 especially to show us in 
 her maternal Heart the anxious appeal for 
 prayer and the promise of her powerful 
 mediation for the conversion of sinners/' 
 
 Development of the Cult 
 
 The story of Beauraing spread rapidly 
 throughout Belgium and then through- 
 out other parts of northern Europe. Pil- 
 grimages of penance are made twice a 
 month. Other regular pilgrimages come 
 from the Netherlands, France, and Ger- 
 many. The total number of pilgrims each 
 year is approximately 1,000,000. 
 
 Very slowly, the story of Beauraing is 
 also becoming known throughout the rest 
 
 18 
 
of the free world. Since 1950, the story 
 has been told in numerous Catholic maga- 
 zines and newspapers in the United States, 
 Canada, India, and other places. The first 
 official pilgrimage from the United States 
 arrived at Beauraing in September, 1953. 
 
 An organization has been started to 
 spread the Message of Our Lady of Beau- 
 raing in the United States: the Pro Maria 
 Committee, Rev. Joseph Debergh, OMI, 
 Director, 725 Merrimack St., Lowell, 
 Massachusetts. The first public shrine to 
 Our Lady of Beauraing in the U. S. was 
 dedicated at Flint, Michigan. June 9, 1955. 
 
 * * * 
 
 What of the Five Children of Beauraing? 
 
 All five are married and are living quiet- 
 ly with their families. Some authorities 
 believe that in the five "children" Our 
 Lady wishes to give us models of family 
 life and that she also wishes to emphasize 
 the role of the lay people in carrying out 
 her message. 
 
 Andree D. and Gilberte V. both live in 
 Beauraing. One or both can be seen lead- 
 ing the Rosary every night at the shrine. 
 Andree has three children. Gilberte has 
 two. Gilberte's husband, a state police- 
 man, was killed in an accident in April, 
 1953. He was a daily communicant. 
 
 Gilberte D. lives in Brussels. She has 
 two children. Fernande V. lives in Namur 
 and has five children. 
 
 Albert has two children. He lives in 
 the Belgian Congo where he is helping to 
 train native teachers. 
 
 19 
 
All five have great devotion to the 
 Blessed Mother, and they are bringing up 
 their children to have devotion to her 
 also. All five shun the limelight. They 
 are not important, they say. They were 
 merely the instruments through which 
 Our Lady gave her message to the world. 
 
 Why did Our Lady appear at Beau- 
 rain g? 
 
 The broad answer to that question is 
 simple: She appeared at Beauraing for the 
 same reason that she appeared at Lourdes, 
 at Fatima, and many other places: to save 
 souls. She wishes to help us save our 
 souls, and she wishes to enlist our help in 
 saving the souls of others. 
 
 Saints and mystics and theologians are 
 agreed on this: the shortest, surest way to 
 God is through Mary. That is because of 
 the unique position she occupies as Mother 
 of God, Mother of all mankind, Queen of 
 Heaven, and Mediatrix of all Graces. 
 
 The important part that Mary plays 
 in our salvation is not well enough under- 
 stood. Many Catholics look upon devo- 
 tion to Our Lady as something that has 
 been added to Christian life. They look 
 upon it as an accessory, a very helpful ac- 
 cessory to be sure, but one that we could, 
 strictly speaking, do without. 
 
 The truth is that we depend upon Mary 
 for our supernatural life just as a child 
 depends on his earthly mother for his 
 natural life. St. Louis Marie de Mont- 
 fort says that "all the predestinate . . . 
 are hidden in the womb of the most holy 
 
 20 
 
Virgin, where they are guarded, nour- 
 ished, and made to grow by that good 
 Mother until she has brought them forth 
 to glory after death." 
 
 At Beauraing Mary reminds us of her 
 great power, of her great love for us, and 
 of our dependence on her. 
 
 She wears a diadem, a symbol of her 
 power. She shows her golden Heart, a 
 symbol of her boundless mother-love. 
 
 She says: "I am the Immaculate Virgin 
 . . . I am the Mother of God, the Queen 
 of the Heavens. I will convert sinners." 
 
 What a tremendous meaning is packed 
 into those few words. 
 
 And how important to our salvation! 
 
 Lourdes, Fatima and Beauraing. 
 
 They are connected like three links in 
 a chain, or like three chapters in a book. 
 
 At each place Our Lady asked for a 
 chapel. At Beauraing she specifically 
 asked for pilgrimages. These shrines are 
 visited by millions of pilgrims each year. 
 The number of spiritual cures at the three 
 shrines cannot be estimated. The amount 
 of religious fervor that is generated cannot 
 be computed in statistics. The shrines are 
 having a profound effect upon Europe and 
 upon the world. 
 
 Bishop Theas of Lourdes says that the 
 apparitions at Lourdes and those at Beau- 
 raing should be studied together. He 
 points out that purity was emphasized at 
 Lourdes and that the Heart of Gold at 
 Beauraing symbolizes love. "Purity and 
 
 21 
 
love. That is what explains the Heart of 
 the Blessed Virgin/ ' 
 
 It is also true that the apparitions at 
 Fatima and those at Beauraing should be 
 studied together. The similarities between 
 the two series of appearances are striking. 
 In many ways, the Message of Beauraing 
 is a repetition of the Message of Fatima. 
 In other ways, the Message of Beauraing 
 is an extension of the Message of Fatima. 
 
 What specific requests does Our Lady 
 make at Beauraing? 
 
 They are the same requests she has 
 made many times in the last century: 1) 
 Prayer; 2) Sacrifice; 3) Devotion to her 
 Immaculate Heart. Through these prac- 
 tices we can help to save our own souls, 
 and we can help Mary save the souls of 
 others. 
 
 PRAYER: At both Lourdes and Fati- 
 ma Our Lady said "Pray for sinners." 
 At Beauraing she said: "Pray . . . Pray a 
 great deal . . . Pray always." 
 
 The Rosary is a powerful form of 
 prayer and one that Our Lady loves. She 
 emphasized this devotion at Lourdes by 
 allowing the rosary to slip through her 
 fingers while Bernadette said the prayers. 
 
 At Fatima she said: "Say the Rosary 
 every day/' When asked who she was, 
 she said: "I am the Lady of the Rosary." 
 
 At Beauraing Our Lady did not men- 
 tion the Rosary but she wore one, and she 
 usually appeared while the children were 
 saying the Rosary. It is evident that she 
 wishes to stress the Rosary and that she 
 wishes to encourage its recitation. 
 
 2 2 
 
SACRIFICE: Under "sacrifice" are in- 
 cluded penance and reparation. We make 
 sacrifices in order to offer penance for our 
 own sins and reparation for the sins of 
 others. Our Lady has repeatedly asked 
 for sacrifice, for penance, and for repara- 
 tion. 
 
 During one of the apparitions at 
 Lourdes, Bernadette turned toward the 
 crowd and repeated Our Lady's request 
 for "Penitence! Penitence!" 
 
 At Fatima Our Lady repeatedly asked 
 for sacrifices. 
 
 The last words of Our Lady at Beau- 
 raing were: "Do you love my Son? Do 
 you love me? Then sacrifice yourself for 
 me. 
 
 DEVOTION TO THE IMMACU- 
 LATE HEART: At Fatima Our Lady 
 said: "God wishes to establish in the 
 world devotion to my Immaculate Heart." 
 She referred to her Immaculate Heart 
 again and again. She asked that Russia 
 be consecrated to her Immaculate Heart. 
 She asked for the devotion of the Five 
 First Saturdays in reparation to her Im- 
 maculate Heart. She said that some day 
 her Immaculate Heart would triumph, 
 that Russia would be converted and that 
 a period of peace would be given to the 
 world. 
 
 At Beauraing it seemed that Our Lady 
 wished to remind the world once more 
 of the importance of devotion to the Im- 
 maculate Heart. She did by showing her 
 Immaculate Heart as a Heart of Gold. 
 
 23 
 
The Feast of the Immaculate Heart, 
 August 22, is the day of the biggest cere- 
 monies at Beauraing. 
 
 Perhaps the most distinctive feature of 
 Beauraing is Mary's promise: "I will con- 
 vert sinners/* 
 
 She has mentioned sin in almost all her 
 apparitions of the past century. At La 
 Salette in 1846, she wept over the sins of 
 the world and said she could no longer 
 keep her Son from punishing the world. 
 At Lourdes, she sometimes looked sad be- 
 cause of sin. At Fatima she said: "Many 
 souls go to hell because they have no one 
 to pray and make sacrifices for them." 
 She also forecast dire calamities that would 
 overtake the world if people did not re- 
 form. 
 
 At Beauraing Mary did not look sad, 
 and she did not foretell calamities. At 
 Beauraing she was the merciful Mother. 
 She simply made the promise: "I will 
 convert sinners." There were no condi- 
 tions to this. (Although we know she 
 will be able to convert more sinners if 
 she has our prayers and sacrifices.) 
 
 "I will convert sinners." 
 
 In a world which seems crushed under 
 the burden of its own sins what promise 
 could be more consoling? 
 
 Our Lady of Beauraing, Pray for us! 
 
 PRAYER TO OUR LADY OF 
 BEAURAING 
 
 Our Lady of Beauraing, Immaculate 
 Virgin, ever victorious in all thy battles 
 
 24 
 
for the kingdom of God, we beseech thee, 
 convert sinners, as thou hast promised. 
 
 Exercise in their behalf the power of 
 thy Immaculate Heart! Bring back to the 
 love of God all souls who, deprived of 
 sanctifying grace, stand in danger of eter- 
 nal perdition. 
 
 O Heavenly Mother, cast thine eyes of 
 mercy on thy poor children, and be our 
 Help in all tribulations! Be thou the 
 Health of the sick and Comforter of the 
 afflicted. 
 
 Queen of Heaven, crowned with eternal 
 glory, our love and our gratitude pro- 
 claim thee also Queen of our hearts and 
 Sovereign of the world. We shall work 
 for the extension of thy kingdom in our- 
 selves, by sacrifice and imitation of thy 
 virtues; and around us by frequent prayers 
 and good works. 
 
 Mayest thou reign over the whole world 
 and spread everywhere the kingdom of thy 
 Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 Our Father .... Hail Mary .... Glory be to 
 the Father 
 
 Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us 
 Our Lady of Beauraing, convert sinners 
 Queen of the Golden Heart, help the sick. 
 
 25 
 
MARIAN UNION OF BEAURAING 
 
 (Association of Prayers) 
 
 During Her many apparitions at Beauraing in 
 1932-33, the Blessed Virgin instantly invited us 
 to prayer: "Pray, Pray very much, Pray Always." 
 
 To answer Her appeal, an Association of 
 Prayers : 'Our Lady of Beauraing" was founded 
 immediately. Following the recognition of the de- 
 votion, February 2, 1943, this Association re- 
 doubled in fervor and currently numbers thousands 
 of adherents scattered throughout the world and 
 united, through this Association, to the prayers 
 which are said daily, and most particularly at 
 night, at the foot of the Hawthorn. 
 
 OBLIGATIONS 
 
 The daily spiritual obligations of the Associates 
 have been reduced to a minimum and consist of 
 three degrees: 
 
 a) either 3 Hail Marys, with the invocation: 
 
 "Our Lady of Beauraing, convert sin- 
 ners — You have promised us." (1st 
 degree) . 
 
 b) or 1 decade of the Rosary, followed by 
 
 the same invocation. (2nd degree). 
 
 c) or the 3 Angelus, followed by the same 
 
 invocation. (3rd degree). 
 
 All Associates are invited to sanctify the first 
 Saturday of each month by assisting at Mass, re- 
 ceiving Holy Communion, and reciting the Rosary 
 for the conversion of sinners. 
 
 The sick and invalids are encouraged to offer 
 their daily sufferings for the extension of the reign 
 of the Blessed Virgin in the world and for the 
 conversion of sinners. 
 
 The habitual intentions of the Associates are the 
 following: 
 
 a) The conversion of sinners. 
 
 b) All the intentions recommended at Beau- 
 raing. 
 
 26 
 
SPIRITUAL BENEFITS: 
 
 1 . The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and Bene- 
 diction of the Blessed Sacrament celebrated 
 at the Shrine the first Saturday of each 
 month will be offered for the conversion of 
 sinners and for the intentions of the pro- 
 moters and Associates of the Marian Union. 
 
 2. Every day, the priests at Beauraing will 
 have, at Mass, a special memento for the 
 spiritual intentions of the Associates of the 
 Marian Union. 
 
 3. The members may signify their particular 
 intentions to the Pro Maria Committee of 
 Lowell, Mass. The Committee in turn will 
 recommend their intentions to the prayers 
 of the pilgrims at the Shrine. 
 
 4. For the deceased: The Associates, of whose 
 death the Committee is notified, will be 
 recommended in a particular way at the 
 Masses said at the Shrine, and will be 
 recommended to the prayers of the readers 
 of "La Voix de Beauraing," the official pub- 
 lication of the Shrine. 
 
 There are no dues for membership in this 
 MARIAN UNION OF BEAURAING. For en- 
 rollment in this Association of Prayers, as well as 
 for folder depicting Our Lady of Beauraing statues, 
 medals, holy pictures, post cards, etc., please write 
 to: Miss Doris M. Poisson. Secretary, PRO MARIA 
 COMMITTEE, 22 Second Avenue. Lowell, Mass. 
 
 Rev. Joseph Debergh, OMI 
 Director, Pro Maria Committee 
 725 Merrimack Street 
 Lowell. Massachusetts 
 
 27 
 
I 
 
 DECREE 
 
 Authorizing the Cult to Our Lady of Beauraing 
 
 By virtue of the decree of the Holy Office, 
 dated December 7, 1942, granting Us power to 
 express Our judgment freely on the case of Beau- 
 raing, in Our capacity of Ordinary thereof and of 
 Our own authority; 
 
 By virtue of the notice of the diocesan Commis- 
 sion, which, following the first decree of the Holy 
 Office, dated May 30th, 1942, has resumed investi- 
 gation of the case; 
 
 Whereas no decisive objection was stated against 
 the supernatural and divine character of what are 
 designated as the apparitions of the Most Blessed 
 Virgin to the children of Beauraing; but, on the 
 contrary, the conjectures in favor of this super- 
 natural and divine character seem very serious and 
 the passing of the years has contributed only in 
 making these conjectures more impressive; 
 
 Considering the current of sincere and deep devo- 
 tion which has drawn the faithful toward Beau- 
 raing during the past ten years — and the 
 numerous, often outstanding and even marvelous 
 conversions, plus the many favors, both spiritual 
 and otherwise, all linked to the event of Beau- 
 raing — the perfect orthodox character, simul- 
 taneously real, from a doctrinal point of view, and 
 beneficial, of the Message of Beauraing; 
 
 Having prayed the Holy Ghost and entreated 
 the Virgin of Mediation, full of grace, to assist 
 
 Us; 
 
 We have decided and do decide as follows; 
 
 1 . We allow the carrying on, in our diocese, of 
 public devotions to Our Lady of Beauraing, 
 that is, the intercession of Our Lady under 
 that name, emphasizing the meaning of the 
 emblems and words associated with the vi- 
 sions to the children of Beauraing and the 
 organization of religious ceremonies near the 
 hawthorn of the Apparitions. 
 
 It remains, however, forbidden to publish 
 articles relating to the incident of Beauraing, 
 
 28 
 
to propagate pictures, tableaux, statues, 
 medals, etc. of Our Lady of Beauraing. 
 without obtaining Our authorization. 
 
 2. Anxious to comply with the customary ex- 
 treme cautiousness of the Church in such 
 matters, We reserve Our definite judgment on 
 the facts of Beauraing and on their character. 
 
 3. These decisions are valuable only regarding 
 what we customarily call the apparitions to 
 the children of Beauraing. 
 
 ANDRE-MARIE 
 Bishop of Namur 
 Given at Namur, February 19, 1943 
 
 II 
 
 DECREE 
 
 On the Subject of the Cures of Miss Van Laer 
 
 and Mrs. Acar 
 
 Andre-Marie Charue, bv the Grace of God and 
 the Holy Apostolic See, Bishop of Namur 
 
 By virtue of the power conferred on Us by the 
 decree of the Holy Office, on December 7, 1942, 
 according Us the faculty of bringing Our judg- 
 ment to bear on the case of Beauraing, in Our ca- 
 pacity as Ordinary thereof and of Our own au- 
 thority : 
 
 Having seen the reports of the canonical Com- 
 mission appointed by Us for the study of the cures 
 of Miss Van Laer of Turnhout (in religion, Sister 
 Pudentia of the Congregation of the Franciscan 
 Sisters of the Holy Family) and of Mrs. Acar, nee 
 Maric-Madelcinc Group, of St. Nicholas (Waes) , 
 in which are contained numerous testimonies 
 judged worthy of belief, as well as some conclu- 
 sions of medical experts having been able freely 
 and separately to express their opinions about the 
 nature of the said cures; 
 
 Having considered that these attestations where 
 the value and the authority of the reasons are in- 
 disputable, prove, with the evidence, that Miss Van 
 Laer and Mrs. Acar suffered from extremely grave 
 diseases and that they had been cured instantly, 
 perfectly and absolutely beyond curative power in 
 
 29 
 
case at issue to account for these sudden unexpected 
 changes; 
 
 Whereas it has therefore been demonstrated that 
 these cures assume the natjure of supernatural 
 matters; 
 
 We acknowledge 
 
 1. That Miss Marie Van Laer who, for six- 
 teen years, suffered from a serious disease, deemed 
 incurable, of a tubercular nature, or more probably 
 staphylococcic, in the region of the cervical vertebra 
 and in the right leg, which had progressed to the 
 final stage, has been immediately and absolutely 
 cured on the twenty-fourth of June, 1933, on the 
 day after a pilgrimage made to Beauraing for the 
 purpose of obtaining a cure; 
 
 2. That Mrs. Acar-Group suffered from a 
 myoma of the matrix, duly diagnosed by the at- 
 tending physician, and found herself cured im- 
 mediately and absolutely on July 30, 1933, on 
 returning home from a pilgrimage made with the 
 purpose of obtaining a cure. 
 
 Consequently, using Our power as Ordinary and 
 taking into consideration the accounts and verdicts 
 already sent Us by the diocesan Commission 
 charged with canonical inquiry: 
 
 Having invoked the Holy Name of God; 
 
 We have judged and do judge, We have declared 
 and do declare that the cures of Miss Van Laer and 
 Mrs. Acar-Group are miraculous and that in view 
 of circumstances in which they have taken place, 
 they ought to be attributed to a special interven- 
 tion of God through the intercession of Our Lady 
 of Beauraing. 
 
 And let Our present judgment and Our declara- 
 tion be made public for the honor of God, the 
 glory of Our Lady, and the edification of the 
 faithful. 
 
 Given at Namur, this second of July, 1949, on 
 the Feast of the Visitation of Our Lady. 
 
 ANDRE-MARIE 
 
 Bishop of Namur 
 
 by the order of: 
 
 F. TOUSSAINT, Prosecretary 
 
 30 
 
Ill 
 
 LETTER TO THE CLERGY OF THE 
 
 DIOCESE 
 
 Reverend and Dear Confreres: 
 
 The publication of the decree which you have 
 just read marks a decisive date in the history of 
 the devotion to Our Lady of Beauraing. 
 
 As you know, when we officially permitted this 
 devotion, our declaration enforced strict reserva- 
 tions: we deemed that the moment had not yet 
 come for us to pronounce "upon the reality and 
 the supernatural character of the facts." Since 
 then, the reasons for hesitation have considerably 
 decreased and we are able to say before God that 
 the signs are not lacking to satisfy us personally 
 of the foolish character of the prudent reserves 
 made at the beginning. But we looked forward to 
 the hour when we would be able to publish our 
 final approval. That hour, we think, has come. 
 The happy termination of the reports of the dioce- 
 san doctrinal Commission permits us to declare the 
 miraculous nature of the two cures obtained 
 through the intercession of Our Lady of Beau- 
 raing, occurring in the months which followed the 
 events at Beauraing, among many other cases of 
 spiritual and temporal favors, and at the height of 
 a movement of Marian fervor which has subsisted 
 to this day, these miraculous cures constitute the 
 final element which wins our conviction of the 
 supernatural character of the events. 
 
 We give thanks for it to God and to the Most 
 Holy Virgin: we are able in all serenity and pru- 
 dence to affirm that the Queen of Heaven ap- 
 peared to the children of Beauraing during the 
 winter of 1932-1933, especially to show us in her 
 maternal Heart the anxious appeal for prayer 
 and the promise of her powerful mediation for 
 the conversion of sinners. 
 
 We, ourselves, marveling at the providential 
 guidance which has led us after seven years to 
 this final stage of the case, have signed this docu- 
 ment with all the ardor of our heart and with the 
 assurance that our entire diocese will join in our 
 
 31 
 
thanksgiving. In the name of all our people we 
 again tell Our Lady with a growing confidence: 
 Among us you are Queen; we are yours. 
 
 Please believe, venerable and dear confreres, our 
 sentiments of spiritual and affectionate devotion, 
 in Our Savior and Our Lady. 
 
 Namur, July 2, 1949, on the Feast of the Vis- 
 itation of Our Lady. 
 
 ANDRE-MARIE 
 Bishop of Namur 
 
 This is a reproduction of the official 
 Beauraing statue. The cover picture 
 is not Our Lady of Beauraing. 
 
 32 
 
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