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Summary
From November 29, 1932 to January 3, 1933, Mary appeared 33 times to the playground of a convent
school to five children. The children belonged to two families: the Voisins (Fernande, 15 years; Berthe, 13 years; and Albert 11 years) and the Degeimbres (Andre, 14 years, and Gilberte, 9 years old). Identifying herself as "the Immaculate
Virgin" and "Mother of God, Queen of Heaven," she
called for prayer for the conversion of sinners. |
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Timeline
June 21, 1917 |
Fernande Voisin was born. |
April 19, 1918 |
Andree Degeimbre was born. She married Georges van den Steen from Flanders in 1941. Andree had 3 children: Christian, Yvan and Marie-Ange. She died on June 11, 1978, the first of the five to die. |
June 20, 1919 |
Gilberte Voisin was born |
September 3, 1921 |
Albert Voisin was born. |
August 13, 1923 |
Gilberte Degeimbre was born. |
Nov 29, 1932 |
Albert and Fernande Voisin and Andree and Gilberte Degeimbre approached the convent door to call for Gilberte Voisin as they did every night. Albert ran ahead of the girls and rang the door to the convent. As he waited for a sister to come to the door, he turned around and looked toward the street and railroad bridge “Look! The Virgin, dressed in white, is walking above the bridge!” he cried out. The girls did not believe him but when they turned around they saw the figure of a beautiful Lady in white walking above the bridge and the grotto by the convent with clouds covering her feet. The sister who came to the door could not see the Blessed Virgin Mary, but Gilberte Voisin did. |
Dec 17, 1932 |
The Virgin Mary asks for a chapel to be built |
Dec 21, 1932 |
The Virgin clearly states, "I am the Immaculate Virgin." |
Dec 23, 1932 |
Our Lady states that she desires people to come on pilgrimage.
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Dec 29, 1932 |
The Virgin opened Her arms in Her usual gesture of farewell. This time Fernande saw a Heart of Gold, surrounded by glittering rays. All the children witnessed this in the remaining apparitions. |
Jan 3, 1933 |
The Virgin Mary appears for the final time at Beauraing. |
1934 |
Similar apparition claims multiplied throughout Belgium (Onkerzele, Lokere, Naasteveld, Tubize, Olsene, Etikhove) |
1935 |
The Holy Office turned the examination of the matter over to the Primate of Belgium, Cardinal Van Roy. |
1935 |
The Bishop of Namur, Thomas-Louis Heylen, appointed an Episcopal Commission to investigate the events. |
1941 |
When Bishop Heylen died, the investigation continued under his successor, Bishop Andre-Marie Charue. |
1941 |
Andree Degeimbre married Georges van den Steen from Flanders in 1941. Andree had 3 children: Christian, Yvan and Marie-Ange. |
1941 |
Fernande Voisin married Albert Despas, who worked at the local tax office. Fernande was a nurse who made home visits. In 1954 they moved to Namur. She had five children: Rose-Marie, Michel, Emmanuel, Noel and Marie-Francoise. |
Dec 7, 1942 |
Bishop Charue received from Rome a decree dated December 7, 1942, and approved by Pope Pius XII, which granted him complete liberty to proceed toward canonical recognition. |
Feb 2, 1943 |
After long investigations and especially-difficult negotiations with Rome, the cult of Our Lady of Beauraing was recognized through a decree which authorized public devotions to Our Lady of Beauraing. |
May 16, 1943 |
Bishop Charue solemnly inaugurated this devotion at a great ceremony attended by 24,000 people. |
1945 |
Gilberte Voisin married Amedee Pierret in 1945, a police officer from Sainte-Marie. He was killed while on active duty in 1953, leaving two children: Michel and Bernadette. Gilberte returned to Beauraing. |
Aug 22, 1946 |
The statue of Our Lady of Beauraing was blessed by Bishop Charue, on the Feast of the Immaculate Heart. The statue stands under the hawthorn tree, where Our Lady had appeared. |
1947 |
Gilberte Degeimbre married Andre Philippe. For a long time she lived in Italy with her husband and their two children. She returned to live in Beauraing with her husband. |
July 18, 1947 |
Pope Pius XII granted a private interview to the Bishop of Namur. He gave his blessing to the Sanctuary and the pilgrimages of penance. These pilgrimages were held on the second and third Sundays of each month, from May to November such that the pilgrims walk 12 miles to Beauraing, in prayer. |
Aug 22, 1947 |
The cornerstone of the chapel was laid on the Feast of the Imaculate Heart. |
July 2, 1949 |
André Marie Charue, Bishop of Namur, under the direction of the Holy Office, released an epsicopal decree recognizing as authentic miracles two of the many cures credited to Our Lady of Beauraing and released a document to clergy in the Diocese declaring that the Queen of Heaven did appear to the children. |
1948 |
Albert Voisin married Yvonne Embrechts from Liege. That same year, they left for the Belgian Congo, first to Lubumbashi followed by Kowezi where their 3 children were born: Claude, Francine and Bridget. Previously, he spent his military duty in Ireland and Germany and was a teacher in Ottignies for 2 years.The family returned to Beauraing in 1961 where Albert taught at the "Institut Notre Dame." |
Aug 21, 1954 |
The Chapel which the Virgin Mary requested was consecrated. |
June 11, 1978 |
Andree Degeimbre was the first of the five to die. |
May 9, 1979 |
Fernande Voisin died from kidney cancer. |
January 3, 2003 |
Gilberte Voisin died in an accident on January 3, 2003, the 70th anniversary of the last apparition at the exact hour that the Blessed Virgin said: "I will convert sinners" |
December 23, 2003 |
Death of Albert Voisin |
February 10, 2015 |
Death of Gilberte Degeimbre |
Photo Gallery
Our Lady of Beauraing (Belgium 1932) Artist: Hector Garrido
Our Lady of Beauraing (Belgium 1932)
Our Lady of Beauraing (Belgium 1932)
Beauraing visionaries: Fernande Voisin (15), Andree Degeimbre (14), Gilberte Voisin (11), Gilberte Degeimbre (9), Albert Voisin (11)
Shrine Our Lady of Beauraing
Pope John Paul II prays at the Shrine Our Lady of Beauraing |
Description of the Virgin
The Virgin Mary appeared as a beautiful lady in white walking above the bridge and the grotto by the convent with clouds covering her feet. The Virgin, with hands joined and turned toward the sky, carried a rosary hanging from her right arm. During the five last apparitions, she showed a heart of gold, surrounded by rays, on her chest.
Visionaries
The children belonged to two families: the Voisins (Fernande, 15 years; Berthe, 13 years; and Albert 11 years) and the Degeimbres (Andre, 14 years, and Gilberte, 9 years old). These working families were for the most part non-practicing Catholics.
Messages
The Virgin Mary urged the children to pray and sacrifice. She asked, "that people pray much," "that a chapel be built" (December 17, 1932), "that people come here in pilgrimage" (December 23). She promised the conversion of sinners. All these points are common with Lourdes. During the five last apparitions, she showed a heart of gold, surrounded by rays, on her chest. During the fourth apparition (December 4) and the seventh (December 21), she declared herself to be "the Immaculate Virgin" (analogous to Lourdes). During the last apparition (January 3, 1933), she added: "I will convert sinners. I am the Mother of God, the Queen of heaven." Twenty thousand persons were present that day.
The secrets given to the children have never been revealed.
Click here to read the messages of Our Lady of Beauraing.
Miracles and Signs
After the fourth apparition, there were sick people in the crowd. The visionaries prayed Our Lady to heal them. But it was only after the last apparition that healings took place. Here, however, the matter begins to deteriorate. A certain Come Tilman, fifty-eight years old, became a visionary in his turn, and at the first vision, he was healed of spondylitis. However, a medical and psychic examination of the visionary, made on June 1934, was negative. Meanwhile, similar apparitions multiplied in Belgium. It was thus that in 1935, the Holy Office turned the examination of the matter over to the Primate of Belgium, Cardinal Van Roy.
During the apparition of December 8th, Dr. Maistriaux, Dr. Lurquin and other doctors were there to pinch, slap, prick and shine flashlights in the children eyes. There was no response from the children during the Lady's visit.
Dr. Lurquin took a lighted match to Gilberte Voisin's left hand; still there was no response. After the apparition Dr. Lurquin looked to see what damage the match had done. There was no sign of injury.
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 Maria Van Laer who was an invalid for 16 years wth tuberculosis and he other was the cure of Maric-Madeleine Acar who was cured of a tumor of the womb on July 30, 1933.
Church Approval
After long investigations and especially-difficult negotiations with Rome, the cult of Our Lady of Beauraing was recognized through a decree on February 19, 1943 which authorized public devotions to Our Lady of Beauraing.
André Marie Charue, Bishop of Namur released a document to Clergy in the Diocese declaring that the Queen of Heaven did appear to the children. The Feast Day of The Virgin of the Poor is August 22nd.
Prayer
O virgin of the Poor, May you ever be blessed ! And blessed be He who deigned to send you to us. What you have been and are to us now, you will always be to those who, like us, and better then us, offer their faith and their prayer. You will be all for us, as you revealed yourself at Banneux : Mediatrix of all graces, the Mother of theSaviour, Mother of God. A compassionate and powerfull Mother who loves the poor and all Peaople, who alleviates suffering, who saves individuals and all humanity, Queen and Mother of all Nations, who came to lead all those who allow themselves to be guided by you, to Jesus the true and only Source of eternal life.
Amen.
Shrines
Les Santuaires de ND de Beauraing
Rue de l’Aubepine 37
5570 Beauraing
Tel from US: 011 32 82/ 71-1218
Fax from US: 011 32 82/ 71-4075
info@sanctuairesbeauraing.com
Books
Amatora, Mary. The Queen's heart of gold;: The complete story of Our Lady of Beauraing. Pageant Press; [1st ed.] edition (1957)
de Bertier, G. Catholicisme II, 1360
Gerard, G. Les 33 apparitions de la Vierge à Beauraing et leur
caractére. Bruxelles: Les Grandes editions, 1933
Laurentin, René. Mary in Faith and Life in the New Age of the Church. The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute 1980. pp 353-486.
Sharkey & Debergh. Our Lady of Beauraing;
Toussaint & Joset. Beauraing, Les apparitions.
Windeatt, Mary Fabyan. Our Lady of Beauraing. T A N Books & Publishers
(May 1988)
Vraies et Fausses apparitions, pp. 22-23
Enciclopedia mariana theotokos, Genova, 2d. ed., 1958, p. 24;
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