The Credibility of Marian Apparitions. The Gietrzwa？d Context

Sa？etak The year 2017 marks the 140th anniversary of Marian apparitions in Gietrzwa？d, a small village situated in southern Warmia. On 11 September 1977, the revelations in Gietrzwa？d received official approval of the Church. The message imparted to the seers by the Mother of God may be encapsulated in three sentences: I am the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculately Conceived; I wish you recite the rosary every day; Do not be sad for I will always be with you. Marian apparitions, classed as so-called private revelations, are aimed at bringing into actuality the Divine Revelation in a given historical period. The content of Marian apparitions usually boils down to a call for conversion, repentance or prayer. Thus, it provides an important impulse for Christian renewal, a return to Evangelical fervour and holiness. Upon consideration of the modern theological research, this article lists four main criteria for discerning the credibility of Marian epiphanies: a) Christological and ecclesiological reference; b) good fruits of the revelations; c) miracles and other supernatural phenomena; d) the credibility of people experiencing the revelations. Having analysed the invoked signs pointing to the authenticity of the revelations, the author concludes that Marian epiphanies in Gietrzwa？d are fully credible