The Virgin Mary heals a teenager, then appears to him dozens of times

Summary:

On May 4, 1986, 15-year-old Rosario Toscano was ill and bedridden in his room at his parents' home in Catania, Sicily. Suddenly, he saw a great light and heard a female voice say to him: "You've suffered enough...That's enough now." The boy was unable to identify the person who had just spoken to him, or where the voice was coming from. 

The next day, a similar light appeared again from nowhere, flooding his room; but the boy heard no voice. On May 7, the light phenomenon occurred a third time. This time, Rosario heard these words: "Today, the moment has come to tell you who I am. I am Mary, the Mother of God, the Immaculate Conception."

On Sunday May 11, 1986, Rosario claims to have seen the Virgin Mary for the first time on a hill called Borello Rock. Thirty-two other apparitions followed.

The 12 messages Rosario faithfully transmitted to the Church's authorities are exceptionally clear and simple: peace, prayer, penance, conversion, the importance of reading the Bible and attending the sacraments (mass several times a week), fasting, consecration to the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, devotion to the holy angels, and recitation of the rosary. All these messages neither detract from nor add anything to the tradition of the Church. 

One theme dominates: God's infinite love. There is no request to change the liturgy or to modify a point of theology: only to go back to the Gospel!  

Rosario has always been perfectly obedient to ecclesiastical authorities. He declared to Bishop Luigi Bommarito (d. 2019): "If you want me to go to the Rock to pray, I'll go; if you don't want me to go, I won't!"

Relations between the Archbishop of Catania and Rosario were very positive from the outset. The prelate received the boy three times face-to-face, and made several visits to the site of the apparitions and to the seer's family. Bishop Bommarito described Rosario as "a healthy, well-balanced, serene boy who doesn't like to draw attention to himself". 

Rosario's father was initially skeptical. But as the weeks went by, he and his wife came to realize the veracity of the facts and converted. They firmly believe in the apparitions. Those around them, both work related and friends, are also certain of the supernatural origin of the events and the spiritual richness of the messages, such as this one: "Read and meditate often on the Holy Gospel, the Word of God: let it be in your mind, let it be your word, but above all, let it be written in your heart."

Every first of the month, the pilgrimage attracts over 3,000 people. Between 1986 and 1988, an estimated 150,000 pilgrims came to Belpasso. Even today, the popularity of the Marian site is as strong as ever. 

On March 1, 1987, the Virgin Mary communicated secrets to the seer: two were personal and ten concerned the future of the world. Like the Fatima messages, they establish a close correlation between the conversion of hearts and peace between men: "He [the Lord] expects justice and righteousness from his people, not the shedding of blood and the cries of the oppressed."

Shortly afterwards, Mary asked for a chapel to be built in honor of her "Immaculate Heart, Queen of Peace".

On March 25, 1999, at the time of the war in Kosovo, Rosario had his 33rd apparition: he miraculously found himself on a mountain looking down on the world. Our Lady appeared to him, showing him her Immaculate Heart, the Rosary and an olive branch. She said to him: "The time has come to ask the Holy Father to promote, with the help of all the bishops, a consecration of families to my Immaculate Heart, and through it, to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and so of parishes and all the dioceses of the world." Then, pointing to the olive branch: "Here is the sign of reconciliation and unity: it is for all men who, reconciled with the Father through the merits of Jesus Christ, will find the peace of God in the bond of Love"; then Mary pointed to her Heart and said: "Here is the sign of self-giving to God: it is for all men, united in the Eucharistic sacrifice to the sufferings of Christ."

On May 11, 1990, an unusual phenomenon was observed by several hundred witnesses: a dazzling white, cross-shaped cloud, "lit from within", appeared at the site of the apparitions, at the precise time Mary appeared to Rosario. Hundreds of witnesses observed the wonder. Bishop Bommarito said: "I must admit that a cloud in the sky over Belpasso took on an inexplicable shape. But I don't want to express an opinion that could pass for an official statement. I recognize the singularity of the coincidence between the moment when the cross appeared and the hour when Our Lady appeared to the young Toscano." 

Bishop Bommarito consecrated the chapel and elevated it to the status of a diocesan Marian shrine, with a jubilee indulgence for its pilgrims. "Recently [...], countless crowds have flocked to the esplanade of the Belpasso Rock, where many of the faithful [...] recollect themselves in silent, fervent prayer. Pilgrimages from Sicily, Calabria and even further away can no longer be counted [...]; declarations of spontaneous conversions and other graces received are more and more frequent, [declarations] whose seriousness cannot be doubted", he explained.

His successor, Archbishop Salvatore Gristina, is also a regular visitor to the shrine. The clergy have received many testimonies of conversions and healings linked to the place of the apparitions.

Beyond reasons to believe:

The simplicity and clarity of the messages, and their consistency with the Gospels and Church teaching, make Belpasso a spiritual beacon for today's world.

Going further:

"Rosario Toscano's Diary and the Virgin's Messages" (http://www.rocciadibelpasso.it/messaggifra.htm)

More information:

• Marco Tosatti, Le Nuove apparizioni. Dove e come appare oggi la Madonna, Milan, Mondadori Editore, 2002, p. 145-158. 
• http://www.madonnadellaroccia.it/.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-b3_8ijXSY.