Three Lesser-Known Marian Apparitions and Their Significance for Today

Allison Auth shares the stories of three little-known Marian apparitions that took place in France, and explains why they still have relevance today.

Most people have heard of Lourdes, France and many know about Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception’s appearance to Saint Catherine Laboure in Paris. But did you know there are three other Church-approved Marian apparitions in France? While teaching a homeschool co-op this year, I had the opportunity to learn about the other ones. Our Lady of Laus and Our Lady of La Salette appeared to shepherd children in the Alps, and Our Lady of Pontmain appeared to children in Normandy. Here, I’ll summarize each apparition and show its significance for today.

Our Lady of Pontmain: Our Lady of Hope

It was January of 1871 and most of France was under Prussian occupation, embattled and weary from the Franco-Prussian War. The Prussians were only 30 miles away from the small town of Pontmain, and the French were losing hope when on the evening of January 17, 1871, Eugene Barbadette (12) noticed a young woman appear in the sky over his family’s barn. She was wearing a dark blue dress with a black veil and golden crown on top. He yelled to his brother Joseph (10) to come see.

More townspeople began to arrive, but only the children could see the apparition. Everyone began to pray the Rosary and sing hymns. A dark oval then appeared around Mary; there were four candles, one in each corner. A scroll unrolled under her feet, reading: “But pray, my children, God will hear you in a little while. My Son permits himself to be moved.”

The experience lasted a total of three hours. By the next morning, the town of Pontmain had learned that the Prussian soldiers had witnessed a vision of Mary on the outside of town, barring their advance. Within 11 days, the Prussians had withdrawn, and a truce was signed, ending the war.

The Church approved the vision in 1875 under the title of Our Lady of Hope. Joseph and Eugene became priests.

Our Lady of Pontmain’s significance for today:

We are all a little weary from the daily battles we face, as well as the larger wars going on in the world. Mary reminds us not to lose hope. When we pray through her intercession, her Son listens: miracles can happen, and wars can be stopped. Sometimes I feel weary of asking for help, but this apparition of Mary reminds me to persevere in faith.

Our Lady of La Salette: Weeping Over Sins

On September 19, 1846, Mélanie Calvat (14) and Maximin Giraud (11) were herding cattle in the French Alps near the small town of La Salette when they saw the Blessed Mother appear. She sat weeping, holding her face in her hands, surrounded by a glowing light. Mary told the children she was weeping because people were taking God’s name in vain (using it as a swear word), as well as working on Sundays instead of going to Church.

Mary was concerned about the lack of devotion among Catholics and emphasized the importance of prayer and conversion. She warned that if people did not repent — return to Sunday Mass and stop taking the Lord’s name in vain — a famine and great suffering would occur. Shortly after the apparition, the Great Potato Famine hit Europe.

As she spoke, the children realized that the light was emanating from a special crucifix she was wearing around her neck. Today, that crucifix is known as the La Salette cross, featuring a hammer and pincers at the sides of Christ’s hands: the instruments of the crucifixion.

Our Lady of La Salette’s significance for today:

What was true in 1846 is no less true today. Many baptized Catholics only attend Church on Christmas and Easter, and you have only to turn on the TV to hear the Lord’s name used in vain. The message is one of repentance, and that is still the call for us.

Mary’s tears remind us of the sorrow we should have over sin and how it hurts our Lord. While I do not take the Lord’s name in vain, I rarely correct those around me. I can share Mary’s message by encouraging those in my life to show better reverence in their speech, and to make Sunday Mass a priority. I can center my Sunday around Mass, instead of trying to fit Mass into my Sunday.

Our Lady of La Laus: Refuge of Sinners

Beginning in 1664, Mary appeared, holding a baby in her arms, to a young shepherdess named Benoîte Rencurel. Benoîte was no stranger to suffering — she was a poor, uneducated girl who spent her days tending her neighbors’ sheep.

Over the next four months, Mary appeared daily to instruct the little girl to pray for sinners and work for their conversion. She taught the shepherdess the importance of going to Confession, and about the seriousness of sin. She then asked Benoîte to meet her at a small chapel in Laus, which was eventually built into a bigger shrine. The oil in the shrine’s sanctuary lamps has been a source of miraculous healing for many pilgrims who visit the site.

For the first decade of Mary’s appearances, the devotion grew and the message remained: repent of your sins and you will be forgiven. Then began twenty long years of persecution, mistrust, and falsities about the chapel and the visions. Benoîte suffered greatly for sinners, persevering in faith through attacks of the devil. The apparitions of Mary continued until the end of her life — 54 years!

The apparitions were approved by the Church in 2008. Today the shrine receives over 120,000 visitors each year, where confessions are heard for seven hours each day. It is truly a refuge for sinners where people come to be reconciled with God and with others.

Our Lady of La Laus’s significance for today:

A refuge is a safe place in a scary world. Mary wants to be a safe place for us, telling us that if we repent, we will be forgiven. Through her intercession, miracles of healing happen, but the most miraculous healing is the wiping clean of our souls in Confession.

Growing up, I had a twisted view of Confession, and how many others avoid the sacrament out of fear or misunderstanding? Mary wants to guide them back to her Son’s heart.

This past year, I have grown closer to Mary through pondering these apparitions, and through her intercession have found refuge in her Immaculate Heart, leading me closer to her Son and His Sacred Heart. May Mary be a refuge and source of conversion for you as well!

Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2026 Allison Auth
Images: (from top) iStockPhoto.com, licensed for use by Holy Cross Family Ministries; Canva; iStock; iStock; Octave 444, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons