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As far as visitations or apparitions of St. Joseph are concerned, they are far and few between – especially when compared to those of Christ or the Blessed Virgin Mary. When it comes to discerning these apparitions, the Church performs lengthy and exhaustive investigations, taking great pains to determine authenticity. The purpose of this book is to present, quite simply and directly, the stories of St. Joseph’s apparitions throughout history and his messages for the world.
This book is divided into four parts: Part one documents traditionally accepted apparitions of St. Joseph.
The second part presents apparitions which have undergone ecclesiastical investigation resulting in being declared “worthy of belief” by the Church, approved.
Part three gives accounts of apparitions which are either undergoing investigation or have no formal decision made concerning authenticity at this time. These are presented for your discernment.
And, finally, the fourth part lists apparitions which have been officially declared “unworthy of belief” or have been condemned by the Church. The messages purported to be coming from false apparitions or seers will not be shared. The purpose of listing these is so the faithful will know which apparitions to avoid.
The faithful must always await the approval of Holy Mother Church before fully accepting an apparition. In some cases, the local Bishop will approve the apparitions in an official document or will approve the promotion of messages of the apparitions with an Imprimatur or Nihil Obstat and the faithful are permitted to practice devotions associated with the visions. The belief in apparitions is not binding on the faithful.
May God bless you and St. Joseph smile upon you! :)
José A. Rodrigues
