Anecdotes about the Virgin Mary

«Washington: la iglesia patronal y Our Lady of América»

Washington DC (United States) (1846-2020)

On the campus of The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., stands the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception: the largest church in the United States and one of the largest in the world. It is the nation's patronal church, dedicated to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, whom the bishops elected as Patroness of the country at the Council of Baltimore in 1846, a patronage confirmed by Pius IX in 1847.

The cornerstone was laid in 1920, and the church was inaugurated for veneration in 1959, built in stages thanks to donations from the faithful, dioceses, and communities throughout the country. Inside, numerous chapels represent Marian devotions from the peoples who have shaped the nation, so that, as the Catholic press says, "America recognizes itself in the faces of Mary."

Junto a esta historia documentada aparece otra que pide especial prudencia: la de «Our Lady of América». La religiosa Mildred Neuzil (sor Mary Ephrem) afirmó haber recibido desde los años 1940 revelaciones privadas de la Virgen bajo ese título, con un mensaje de pureza y vida interior dirigido a Estados Unidos; según los relatos, la Virgen habría pedido entronizar su imagen en este santuario nacional. Aquí hay que distinguir con claridad: consta la existencia de la religiosa y de sus escritos, y consta que en 2020 la Congregación para la Doctrina de la Fe concluyó que no se puede afirmar el carácter sobrenatural de esas apariciones. Por tanto, no están aprobadas, aunque el título pueda tolerarse como invocación mariana genérica.

Regarding the Rosary, the sanctuary, being the main temple of the national patron saint, strongly promotes its recitation, especially on Marian feast days. There is no record of a miracle of the Rosary specifically linked to this place; however, it is known to be a common and recommended prayer in the devotional life of the basilica.