A few years ago, I first wrote about Holy Love Ministries, the 83-acre site of Maranatha Spring in Ohio. People have been going to this place since the early 1990‘s, drawn by founder Maureen Sweeney-Kyle’s claim that Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary and a host of saints are appearing to her with messages. On the surface, everything about the site appears to be Catholic, but it is not. The founders and visionary claim it is “ecumenical” and therefore does not fall under Catholic Church authority.
I am writing again about Holy Love because some followers contacted me regarding my article of 11/20/09 (reproduced below), “Proclamation on Holy Love Will Test Hearts and Obedience”.
Thomas T. emailed me last summer and we had a back and forth debate on the authenticity of the apparitions. He challenged my use of the word “condemned” in describing the local bishop’s assessment of Holy Love.
As a journalist, I care about accuracy. I had not used the word “condemned” incorrectly, but the term is an older one and not in common current theological use. I had been warned by Thomas and a couple of others (friends of his, I’m guessing), that souls are at stake should my words turn people away from Holy Love. I must disagree with Thomas in this case as souls are at least equally at stake should people follow a false apparition.
In my November of 2009 article, I said, “Despite all the usual Catholic trappings — chapel, statues, rosaries and religious bookstore, not to mention the throngs from across the country and globe — the purported visions by Maureen Sweeney-Kyle have been condemned.” Although the word “condemned” is the old term for a private revelation that received the “constat de non supernaturalitate” judgment and my readers may have been better served by my simply reporting what the bishop said, the point remains: The conclusion of the bishop’s evaluation is that if there are any apparitions going on there, they are not from God.
Actual apparitions (as distinguished from hallucinations or other psychological phenomena) can only be from one of two sources: God (supernatural) or an influence of the devil (demonic, preternatural). You might wish to review the meaning of the these theological terms. The devil has the ability to deceive with cleverly-disguised religious apparitions, so the Catholic Church carefully evaluates such sites for discrepancies that conflict with Scripture and Tradition. If the local bishop, after investigating, finds nothing supernatural, he will issue a decree of “constat de non supernaturalitate” (the supernatural is not established) to help warn and protect the faithful. That is what the local bishop issued in the case of Holy Love.
Let’s examine that in more detail.
Official Church Pronouncement
What actually happened according to The Morning Journal newspaper of Ohio, was that Bishop Richard Lennon, Ordinary of the Diocese of Clevland, issued a Decree to clergy and laity of the diocese regarding Holy Love Ministries of Lorain County on Nov. 11, 2009:
Having been directed by the Holy See (in Rome) to act definitively in the matter of the alleged apparitions … and having reviewed the theological content of the alleged apparitions to Maureen Sweeney-Kyle and having consulted an expert in this matter, I … declare that the alleged apparitions and locations … are not supernatural in origin.” Lennon’s decree states he “forbid members of the clergy of any ecclesiastical jurisdiction” to celebrate the sacraments on the site of Holy Love Ministries.
I admonish the faithful of the Diocese of Cleveland to cease gathering for any religious, liturgical, spiritual or devotional purpose on the site of Holy Love Ministries and declare that the Confraternity of the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary is not an approved association of the Christian faithful in the Diocese of Cleveland and may not legitimately use the name “Catholic” or represent itself as a Catholic group.”
After Thomas challenged my article, I wrote to Fr. Gary Yanus, Judicial Vicar Diocese of Cleveland, since Bishop Lennon was recovering from surgery. I showed him Thomas’ email and explained my use of the word condemned.
Here is what he said:
In his decree of November 11, 2009 Bishop Lennon made it clear that because of a number of issues it was necessary to forbid priests to celebrate the sacraments at the site of the Holy Love shrine and that the faithful are admonished to “cease gathering” there. The word condemned was not used but it is apparent that there are serious concerns regarding the authenticity of the apparitions, among other things.
The bishop has an obligation to pastor his people and protect and nourish their faith. As the pastor of the Diocese of Cleveland his oversight certainly includes what is identified as “ecumenical” in that the faithful of the diocese cannot be encouraged or permitted to participate in any group or organization whose beliefs or practices contradict the teachings of the Church in faith and morals.
The person who wrote you quoted several canons about the rights of the faithful, but has ignored canon 223 which speaks of taking into account the common good of the Church and the obligation of ecclesiastical authority, in view of the common good, to regulate the exercise of the rights of the faithful.
Ecumenical, Not Catholic
The Journal reported that Kyle responded to Lennon’s decree by stating:
“We at Holy Love ministries are, and always have been, an ecumenical ministry. We have no affiliation with the Diocese of Cleveland. We are sorry that the bishop has taken this position. As it has always been, all people of all faiths are welcome to join us in prayer and the peace that Heaven offers at this site.”
Even before the bishop’s pronouncement, there were red flags for me. When in the history of the Catholic Church has the Blessed Mother operated outside the Church? When has Jesus rejected His own authority — that of the Catholic Church?
In 2005 an article in The Plain Dealer newspaper of Cleveland, OH reported on this ministry:
“The ministry was formed around 1986, meeting in homes of followers or a few welcoming churches. Then came a time of upheaval. Sweeney insisted that the Virgin Mary’s messages demanded that she be given a new title, one recognized by the Catholic Church, that of “Our Lady Protectress of the Faith.” The Cleveland Catholic Diocese turned down this request. And soon the lengthy messages that Sweeney dictated into a tape recorder began denouncing the Catholic Church; others commented on political details of the day. Several members of Sweeney’s small ministry became disillusioned and left.”
The organization has been at odds with the Catholic Church almost from the start. It sought approval through official channels for several years, but instead, in 1999, the Diocese of Clevland issued a statement urging extreme caution. At that point, Holy Love Ministries took an “ecumenical” approach. Yet, as an ecumenical ministry it found time and space in many of its printed materials to rail against the Church. I just don’t see the Blessed Mother doing this.
Before I wrote my original article on Holy Love, I had called and talked with someone from the ministry. I asked why the Blessed Mother would be operating outside the Church. He told me of local corruption of the priests and said, “What else could we do?” I pointed out that Jesus would certainly have his way with his Church, so I did not believe a true apparition would be forced out of the Church. My argument did not win him over.
What’s the Point of a False Apparition?
What of the many miracles and increased devotion so many experienced at apparitions site not approved by the Church? One person wrote and said her fallen-away Catholic friend that once ridiculed the site became a believer. Someone said that such compelling evidence of positive fruits proves this is from God. No, it does not. That is why we have the Church, so that what looks good on the surface doesn’t lead us astray.
The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, always looks below the surface because all that glitters isn’t gold and regardless of how many people visit or how many statues are erected or rosaries said, it does not constitute proof in the Church’s judgment. “Fruits” is more relative to the interior life of virtue, as St. Teresa of Avila teaches in her The Interior Castle (Sixth Mansion). Declaring the Church to be wrong/corrupt and going off in rants about it certainly conflicts with being virtuous.
Furthermore, another consideration on alleged “good fruits” is what people bring to a place. People pray and love God and God answers prayers. This is not to be confused with graces originating from a supernatural occurrence (such as purported apparitions). Too often, if an alleged apparition is condemned people feel betrayed and give up on God and the Church. Disappointment leads them to reject Church authority thinking that they are right and the Church is wrong.
As author Dan Burke
In an article on Apparitions/Private Revelations the EWTN.com website Colin B. Donovan, STL explained that the first responsibility of the faithful is to remain established in the faith, in the sacraments and in communion with the Pope and bishops. “Any Catholic who gives their primary attention to alleged private revelation at the expense of Sacred Scripture, the teaching of the Church (especially the Catechism), sacramental practice, prayer and fidelity to Church authority is off course.”
He warned, “The running after spiritual phenomena, such as alleged revelations, is condemned by St. John of the Cross as spiritual avarice. This means that pious souls who would be repulsed by crude materialistic greed think nothing of being greedy to know revelations and prophecies. An exclusive, or even a predominant attention to these matters (especially apocalyptic ones), cannot help but produce an unbalanced spirituality.”
Donovan pointed out that when the Church warns against an apparition and a person believes more in the apparition and rejects Church authority, the devil succeeded in his goal. For without charity and unity with the Church, there can be no salvation for Catholics. At Holy Love, just being outside Church authority is warning enough for me.
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My second article (originally published 11/20/2009): Proclamation on Holy Love Ministries Will Test Hearts and Obedience
Finally, the Church has spoken authoritatively on Holy Love Ministries and its 83-acre site of Maranatha Spring and Shrine in Ohio. Despite all the usual Catholic trappings — chapel, statues, rosaries and religious bookstore, not to mention the throngs from across the country and globe — the purported visions by Maureen Sweeney-Kyle have been condemned. Bishop Richard Lennon, head of the Cleveland Catholic Diocese, has issued a decree to clergy and laity of the diocese that Holy Love Ministries of Lorain County is officially off limits.
According to The Morning Journal newspaper of Ohio, Bishop Lennon’s decree was issued Nov. 11, 2009:
“Having been directed by the Holy See (in Rome) to act definitively in the matter of the alleged apparitions … and having reviewed the theological content of the alleged apparitions to Maureen Sweeney-Kyle and having consulted an expert in this matter, I … declare that the alleged apparitions and locations … are not supernatural in origin.” Lennon’s decree states he “forbid members of the clergy of any ecclesiastical jurisdiction” to celebrate the sacraments on the site of Holy Love Ministries.
“I admonish the faithful of the Diocese of Cleveland to cease gathering for any religious, liturgical, spiritual or devotional purpose on the site of Holy Love Ministries and declare that the Confraternity of the United Hearts of Jesus and Mary is not an approved association of the Christian faithful in the Diocese of Cleveland and may not legitimately use the name “Catholic” or represent itself as a Catholic group,” Lennon said in his decree.
Rogue Apparitions
People have been going to this shrine since the early 1990‘s, drawn by founder Sweeney-Kyle’s claim that Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary and a host of saints are appearing to her with messages. On the surface, everything about the site appears to be Catholic, but they are not Catholic. They say so themselves. Therefore, this official proclamation by the Bishop will be of little regard to Sweeny-Kyle, or her husband Don Kyle, the director of Holy Love Ministries.
The Journal reported that Kyle responded to Lennon’s decree by stating:
“We at Holy Love ministries are, and always have been, an ecumenical ministry. We have no affiliation with the Diocese of Cleveland. We are sorry that the bishop has taken this position. As it has always been, all people of all faiths are welcome to join us in prayer and the peace that Heaven offers at this site.”
This, fellow Catholics, should have been the red flag that immediately exposed the apparitions long before an official proclamation. When in the history of the Catholic Church have approved apparitions consisted of a Blessed Mother going freestyle outside the Church? When has Jesus rejected His own authority — that of the Catholic Church? The final Church proclamation comes as no surprise.
In 2005 an article in The Plain Dealer newspaper of Cleveland, OH reported on this ministry and its many suspicious claims:
“The ministry was formed around 1986, meeting in homes of followers or a few welcoming churches. Then came a time of upheaval. Sweeney insisted that the Virgin Mary’s messages demanded that she be given a new title, one recognized by the Catholic Church, that of “Our Lady Protectress of the Faith.” The Cleveland Catholic Diocese turned down this request. And soon the lengthy messages that Sweeney dictated into a tape recorder began denouncing the Catholic Church; others commented on political details of the day. Several members of Sweeney’s small ministry became disillusioned and left.”
The ministry changed locations and names several times and Sweeney-Kyle even changed husbands, divorcing and then remarrying two years later. The organization has been at odds with the Catholic Church almost from the start. It sought approval through official channels for several years, but instead, in 1999, the Catholic diocese issued a statement urging extreme caution. At that point, Holy Love Ministries took an “ecumenical” approach. Yet, as an ecumenical ministry it found time and space in many of its printed materials to rail against the Church. Would Jesus and His Blessed Mother and the saints choose Sweeney-Kyle to give the Catholic Church a tongue-lashing? No way.
Obedience or Defection?
The question now is, will those that were enthralled with this Shrine, accept Church authority or continue to follow a ministry that has officially been condemned?
I myself have visited a couple apparition sites that proved to be false. I understand this sort of devotion although I’m much more cautious these days. Yet, if everyone had awaited an official pronouncement from the Church, the 60,000 people that witnessed the Miracle of the Sun in Fatima, Portugal would have stayed home that day. Nor would there have been the initial miracles to report at Lourdes, France if people did not flock to the miraculous spring. (Oh, and by the way, Holy Love Ministries has one of those miraculous springs. They had them at a couple of their locations.)
It’s not wrong to go to a site where purported apparitions are occurring. Catholics must keep their heads on straight and not wander from Church teachings, but praying at an apparition site is not wrong.
However, once the Church has condemned a site and declared it off limits to clergy and laity, it’s a different ball game. Then, it becomes a matter of obeying Catholic authority or thinking you know better. “The one who listens to you listens to me and the one who rejects you rejects me; and he who rejects me, rejects the one who sent me,” Luke 10:16.
Either we accept the authority of the Church, or we reject it. Those at Holy Love Ministries have openly rejected it. The question now is how will the many followers respond to the Bishop’s decree? I fear that many, enthralled by what they believe to be a miraculous site, will disregard the Church.
The Snares of the Devil
I used to wonder why the devil would have a hand in false apparitions when they inspired so many faithful Catholics to increase their prayer life and devotion to God and the Blessed Mother. What would the devil get out of the deal? This, my friends, is what he gets out of it: There will be a number of people who believed they were healed or their faith brought to life through Holy Love Ministries that, like a rebellious adolescents, will respond, “We don’t have to listen to the Church .”
Consider the options the devil has available to trap faithful Catholics? Such people will not be attracted to obvious evil. So, instead, the devil uses a Catholic facade to lure them in. Then, when God’s authority on earth — the Church — speaks against the fraud, a number of otherwise good Catholics get caught in the trap.
In November of 2006, I wrote an article exposing the Holy Love site (reproduced below). After an angry backlash of emails telling me how wrong I was, I promised never to write about alleged apparitions again. In addition, there are a number of followers in the area where I live who were irritated by my observations. My life is stressful enough without stirring up such pots, I reasoned. I am proving, however, that we should never say never. After the Bishop’s decree, I felt compelled to appeal to all Holy Love followers, to accept the fact that the Church has the authority to condemn this site. Jesus told us that the gates of hell would not prevail against his Church and he promised to send the Paraclete to keep the Church free from error.
“If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matt. 18: 17-18).
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth” (John 16:12-13).
If Jesus were giving messages on “all truth” to individuals, the result would not be thousands of denominations going in different directions. He speaks through His Church. The Church has spoken on Holy Love Ministries.
What of the many miracles and increased devotion so many experienced at the site? I did not save all the impassioned emails I received three years ago, but I did find similar comments on a site discussing Holy Love. One woman credited her father’s conversion from a Sunday church grumbler to attending Mass and saying the rosary daily — even two years after his visit to the site. Another person said that her fallen-away Catholic friend that once ridiculed the site became a believer. Someone said that such compelling evidence of positive fruits proves this is from God. No, it does not. That is why we have the Church, so that we don’t get led astray by what looks good on the surface.
The Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, always looks below the surface because all that glitters isn’t gold and regardless of how many people visit or how many statues are erected or rosaries said, it does not constitute proof.
I once read that people bring their own holiness to these sites. They pray and love God. God answers prayers. All this is holy in nature but is not proof of authenticity of purported apparitions. Too often, after apparitions are condemned people feel betrayed and give up on God and the Church. Then, all their gains are lost. Or, disappointment leads them to reject Church authority thinking that they are right and the Church is wrong.
Rather than allow such disappointment to derail them, they can instead take a big step closer to God. By giving their disappointment to God and continuing to walk with him, they acknowledge that his Church is bigger than a single ministry or the claims of any purported visionary.
The past prayers and experiences of Holy Love followers were very real. If people were inspired or received what they believe to be miracles at this site, then praise be to God! God can use all things for good. But now the line has been drawn. People can follow Sweeny-Kyle or the Church, but not both.
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My first article (originally published 11/6/2006): A Vision for Apparitions
Trudging along two miles of country road in Kettle River, Minnesota, I shifted the back carrier which held my three-year-old son. I was joined by 3,500 other pilgrims who had congregated to see if the Virgin Mary would appear as purported locutionist Stephen Marino had reported she would.
A Meeting with Mary?
It was Easter, 1993, and the temperature was cold enough to keep the thick layer of snow that fell the previous night from melting. With me were my husband, four young boys, and three other families who were part of our family prayer group.
It was the published messages from Marino that inspired our prayer group to form. I had heard his inspirational conversion story in which he went so far as to divorce his second wife and reconcile with his first in order to become fully obedient to God and the Church. Everything I knew about him seemed to be the real deal. And who would invent a message that the Blessed Mother would appear on a particular date and time? You would either have to be authentic and your announcement would be fulfilled or a fool. I figured that the tens of thousands of pilgrims in Fatima who witnessed the spinning of the sun and had their soaked clothing dried in an instant when the Blessed Mother appeared as predicted had less to go on than we did. I had come because if the appearance did occur I wanted to be there. If it did not, I would return home and continue to practice my faith.
At 2:00, the appointed hour, the pilgrims waited eagerly, gazing upward. The overcast sky cleared just a bit as the sun showed itself through a thin film of clouds. We all waited and watched, thinking that surely this was the prelude. Then the clouds closed over the sun. Nothing more happened. It was a “no show” for the Blessed Mother. Interesting enough, it was also a “no show” for Marino. His friend and business partner, whose farm property held a large cross and the gathering, reported that Steve and visionaries throughout the world had been called by the Blessed Mother to go to Medjugorje. Weird.
It takes awhile to digest such a fraud. Initially, not all were ready to condemn Marino. If the messages drew people closer to Christ and His Blessed Mother, how could they be false? Would the devil be behind the formation of prayer groups? It did not make sense. How could all these good fruits not be from God? Were such seers themselves duped, and heard or saw messages that were really not from God? Did they suffer from mental illness and imagine it all? Or were they frauds who gave only an outward appearance of religious devotion?
In Marino’s case, I later learned that he got involved in a worldwide movement built around Medjugorje and tried to use that connection to make Kettle River a major Marian shrine. Marino eventually published more than 300 of the messages, dated from March 1991 to January 1992. He and a partner formed a corporation and bought hundreds of acres of land through donations. In March 1992, the Duluth Diocese investigated, and ultimately advised Catholics to stay away.
After the fateful Easter, the cross was removed from the field and Marino withdrew a request to build a 10,000-seat chapel and a seven-story, cross-shaped hotel. He pledged to obey a church directive to dissolve the corporation.
The Wedge of Division
Recently some friends went on a pilgrimage from North Dakota to Ohio to visit the Holy Love Ministries site where messages and apparitions to a housewife have been reported to be occurring for twenty years. They claim numerous miracles are occurring and special blessings are bestowed on all who come. And the pilgrims are indeed coming even from other countries. The shrine is on one hundred-plus acres of land, adorned with beautiful statues of Mary, Jesus and many of the saints.
Since it’s relatively close to where one of my sisters lives, I mentioned the place to her. She investigated and learned that there were enough red flags concerning these messages that it would not be prudent to visit. Even though the messages, purportedly from Jesus and Mary, encourage Catholic devotions, they have declared that this ministry is ecumenical and therefore, does not have to answer to Catholic authority.
The bishop’s office of the diocese of Cleveland cautions anyone considering donations to the center. The organization has no approval or support from the Catholic diocese. A meeting with Holy Love representatives made it clear that the ministry will not subject themselves to the Catholic Church.
When I spoke with people from the diocese, I learned that some things reported on the Holy Love website are misrepresented and subtly drive a wedge between followers and the bishop. Alongside all the Catholic devotions and talk of love, messages brim with dire warnings that computer chips will control people’s minds in the future and certain constellations are now taking unforeseen paths.
In the end, how is a person to discern what is true and what is not? How could false messages result in so many good fruits, such as to increase prayers and devotion to God, Mary and the saints?
Mary Never Undermines the Church
I think it is important to note that in all Marian apparitions ultimately approved, Mary never undermined Church authority and always told visionaries to obey. If there was initial skepticism and resistance, God ultimately overcame it. He has a way with His Church. Never was a true visionary told he or she did not have to obey Catholic authority. After all, if Jesus died for His Church, would He now send His Mother work around it?
I know from experience that it’s easy to look only at the surface and miss obvious problems. An excellent website in which a Catholic theologian evaluates Marian apparitions is catholicplanet.com/apparitions. After reading through the explanations of why certain messages must be regarded as false, it helps readers to be more discerning.
In the end, the type of people who go to apparition sites are not necessarily naïve or foolish. (Of course I guess I’m defending myself here, too.) Oh, there are always some of those, but for the most part, people are motivated by their love of God and their desire to experience Him in their lives to a greater degree. The idea of being privy to messages from heaven can be intoxicating and raise one’s spirits even closer to heaven. Those in love with God naturally crave closeness to Him. To think that messages are being sent by Him or the Blessed Mother, inspires them with the notion that they can get even closer by taking the messages to heart, visiting the shrines and getting near the visionaries. It is really the same motivation of those who visit approved shrines.
Being part of a sea of people, all praying the rosary and loving God and His mother, is uplifting to say the least. These are people willing to travel great distances and do whatever else it takes to bask in love and graces from heaven. But there is a dark side to acting on messages that Church authority warns against. It can get the faithful off track. Once they are off course, the messages can take over and Catholic priests and bishops may even be seen as the enemy for rejecting or ignoring the messages. If the time comes when people realize the messages are false, there is a risk that they will feel duped by religion and turn away entirely.
In the end, we have all we need right at home. At Holy Love Ministries, it is reported that Jesus sometimes comes with Mary during her apparitions. Every Catholic already can be in the presence of God before the tabernacle at their church and even receive Him in Holy Communion.
Marian apparitions and devotions have played a large part in my own faith development. I would have loved to have witnessed something like the pilgrims at Fatima did, but really, I do not need it. Instead of spending money and time on sites of questionable authenticity, I realize now that the best way to act radically for Christ is to receive Him every day at Mass and then to live His gospel message. In the end, we really will get to see both Him and His mother. But until then, we just have to be patient.
