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MARY ANN'S STORY
THE
APPARITION STORY
NOVEMBER 12, 1949
These are portions taken from the story
of the
Apparition Days just as it was written up by Mary Ann
Van Hoof in her story which she has written up for her
own family.
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One night in the year of 1949, November 12th, I had gone to
bed about 10:15 or 10:30, as my heart was paining, and I had a difficult time
resting because of my right kidney, which was injured when I was thirteen years
of age.
I was praying to Our Lady and also Our Lord for help to
make it possible for me to do my duty as a wife and mother, which I was
neglecting badly on account of my health. Praying words
of my own, I asked Our Lord to make me well only so I could do my work; I didn't
ask to be fully cured.
I said the "Our Father" and had started to say the
"Hail Mary" again when I heard a noise in the next room (which is the living
room,).
At first I didn't make anything of it as I thought it was
one of the children coming downstairs, but it stopped in the little hall of our
room, so I wondered what was wrong. Pushing the
covers back so I could see in the hall, I saw a figure standing there that was
too tall for Joanne (my daughter), and I knew Bernard (my son) had not as yet
returned home.
Then the thought struck me, I didn't hear this
person descending the stairs.
About this time I became alarmed, what was it?
I don't believe in ghosts or spirits.
I was getting more alarmed all the time.
Even the thought struck me, could there be something to
Mother's Spiritualism'?
About this time I noticed a veil over the head of this
person; now I really was frightened. I started to
say the "Hail Mary", and I recall as I did so, this figure just seemed to come
closer until it was about four feet from me. I felt I must
be seeing things, or was going crazy. Was my worry
over my neglect of my family causing me to lose my mind?
I had shed many tears and felt depressed many times.
This figure stood there looking at me, or was I just
imagining this?
I held one eye shut, looked at other parts of the
room, but no matter what I did this figure stood there. Oh!
How can I explain my feeling? I was so afraid
I seemed to be petrified.
I couldn't cry out, my tongue seemed stuck to the
roof of my mouth.
I was all wet with perspiration, for after making
those tests of myself, I now felt sure I was not seeing things.
How long this figure stood there I cannot say.
All of a sudden I turned my back to it, as I couldn't face
it any longer, and trembled, waited awhile, then finally I looked over my
shoulder, but it was gone.
Shortly after that I must have gone to sleep until
morning.
When I awoke I started to worry, how am I going to tell
Fred (my husband)?
He'd surely think I had gone crazy.
I went through some awful times not knowing what to do. My
oldest boy had gotten into some trouble, but I felt sure if this was a Saint
from Heaven, she would not come after the damage was committed.
So I just didn't know what to make of it.
My worry over the boy was just about more than I could
stand.
It was about Dec.12th (Fred's Birthday) that my husband
made the remark that worry wasn't going to help matters, meaning the trouble
over my son.
Then I said to him, “There's something else, too.
Maybe, Honey, you'll think I have gone batty when I tell
you this.”
He looked at me with a look that gave me courage to go on,
so I told him of my experience that night in November.
He asked me how She was dressed and what color?
I said blue, and that Her face looked very sad.
But in what position She held Her hands, I could not say.
He said, "Why, it sounds like it was the Blessed Virgin
Mary!"
I was so relieved to be able to tell him.
Joanne also heard as she was doing the morning dishes and
thought it might be on account of the boy. I said “No!”,
for help here was too late. Fred said, "No,
I think it has something to do with the wickedness of the world."
I didn't know, the only thing I did every day after that
was to pray to the Saint to forgive me for my action of turning my back on Her.
Every day and night I pleaded with Her, that I would do
whatever She wanted me to do. If She would
only let me know in some way if I had offended Her. I did not mean
to offend Her; to forgive me. So all winter
long I worried over this.
The trouble with the boy was settled before
Christmas, so I didn't worry about this anymore. He had a heart
condition which seemed also to be improving. My health
didn't improve in any way.
Constant Vigil of
Prayer
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