Leibold Witness
This item was originally published on SpiritDaily.com. It was written by the nephew of Archbishop Paul Leibold as he told of his experience on July 14, 2001 on his first visit to Rome City , IN.
Archbishop Leibold had been the long-time spiritual director of Sr. Neuzil and had issued the Imprimaturs to her texts and commissioned a medal, plaque and statue in the image of Our Lady of America
ARCHBISHOP'S NEPHEW RELATES STRIKING OCCURRENCE AT AMERICAN APPARITION SITE
A nephew of Archbishop Paul F. Leibold has informed us of an extraordinary visit to the site where Sister Mildred Mary Ephrem Neuzil, the American seer, had her first apparitions.
The nephew, whose name is also Paul Leibold, and who was especially close to the now-deceased archbishop, says that during a spur-of-the moment visit on July 14 to a spot
called Sylvan Springs near Rome City, Indiana, he and a small group experienced the "miracle of the sun" and that he spotted a beautifully strange blue butterfly that brings to mind phenomena reported at another apparition site in
According to Paul (who we will call by his first name to differentiate him from the archbishop), he made the trip after reading articles about the situation on this internet site and was surprised by what he found. He and 11 others piled a recreational vehicle and headed five hours up the highway that recent Saturday.
There they found the current owner of the land, Larry Young.
"We took off to the mound where the third apparition was," says Paul, who now owns a pharmacy in the
"We said we were going to pray a family rosary, and there was another couple that had arrived just after we did, Angel and his wife Maria and their son Angel Junior. We were
getting ready to start the rosary and Larry looked at the sun and we began to see the miracle of the sun. When I was at Medjugorje we did not see the miracle of the sun. Someone with me had, and he said it was absolutely identical to what he saw on that mound.
"The next 15 to 20 minutes we sat or stood in prayer, some were kneeling and some were singing. Maria began praying over my son, who has epilepsy. I was as touched as I ever have been in prayer. As another man, Tom breaks into the song Ave Maria, a little blue butterfly lands on an altar and it was just, oh!- There was no doubt the Blessed Mother was with us, blessing us. It was solid pale blue, and absolutely beautiful.
It was a wonderful experience. It just stopped my heart. I was the only one to see it. The others were watching the sun. It just hovered over the altar area. Apparently this altar once had a gold cross and two angels facing it. There had been these black and orange butterflies in the area with no logical reason for them to be there. It's not a flowered area. It's on a mound with mulch on the ground and trees up around it and benches. These little butterflies became more and more prominent as we began talking and sharing, and then Tom broke into Ave Maria. When we got back to the parking lot Angel had some holy cards and it was the Blessed Sacrament and a gold cross with an angel on either side. There was confirmation after confirmation."
Paul had been to Medjugorje, where his experience in prayer on Apparition Hill had been so profound he never thought he would feel that way again -- knowing God was so present. "Well when I went to
It was on
During a vision the next morning the Virgin came in a veil, robe, and mantle of pure white as "Our Lady of America," requesting Americans to honor her by the purity of their lives.
Now the owner of the land reports that people are making inquiries about the land and pilgrims are arriving on weekends at this spot that was once owned by the Order of the Precious Blood (at the time the order to which Sister Neuzil belonged).
posted by OLTIV @ 7:47 PM
28 Comments
28 Comments:
Very nice progress on the blog. Very informative. I appreciate it.
I think I recall reading this article when it first ran on SpiritDaily a few years ago.
Is there a place to make donations to help out?
More good fruit! And off the family tree to boot.
This place must be held for Our Lady's work.
+JMJ+
God Bless You All!
I have recently been twice to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, and feel that the Image of Our Lady of America has a natural place there - there are Images of Her as She appeared in various apparitions all over the world - it seems proper to have Her Image as She appeared in the USA there as well. The other Images represented there are not all "approved by the Vatican" in the sense of having been thoroughly investigated by the Vatican, I don't think, since they are not on the rather brief list of "Church Approved Apparitions" - but are, rather, approved by the local bishops, archbishops, or cardinals, which is also an acceptable judgment by Holy Mother Church. Since the Apparitions of Our Lady of America received the endorsement of the local Archbishop as being an Authentic Apparition of Our Blessed Mother, it seems right to place Her Image in the Basilica. Of course there is not enough room in any church - even the largest one in the Western Hemisphere (as the National Shrine is) - for each of the thousands of Marian Apparitions to have their Images represented, but since the National Shrine is in the USA, it really seems absolutely imperative to have Our Lady of America's Image installed there. And now, with the New Image completed - so Very Beautiful! - She will Shine like the Welcoming Mother that She is, in welcoming all pilgrims to the National Shrine!
And also, the Messages of the Indwelling of the Blessed Trinity in the Family addresses and offers healing and resolution for the major tragedies of divorce, artificial contraception, abortion, homosexual practices and "unions", human cloning and destruction of embryos for their stem cells ("clone and kill"), euthanasia, "assisted suicide", pornography, immoral practices in clothing, music, and dating - and elevate the man, woman and children to the natural, true Dignity which we deserve as beings formed in the Image of God, Who have been Loved and Redeemed by the Incarnation, Passion and Death of Jesus Christ.
I hope and pray to see Our Lady of America's Image installed in the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception, as She requested, as soon as possible. The Basilica is already a Powerful and Holy Place - it waits for Her Image from the USA to Really Open the Floodgates of God's grace to us there.
Maranatha!
Well said Medjugorje!
After reading some of the comments on the first posting, I was concerned there may not be any sensible people out there left to openly discuss the merits of these events.
I too have been to the National Shrine and I asked questions of the staff. I cannot see why this is not a done deal. Can anyone give the Canon perspective on what is actually the next step?
I see there are Bishops "on board" with this confirmation, but I have not been able to find any declarative position statements from any of them. Their offices just ackowledge that there is a devotion under this name.
I travelled to Rome City and found the buildings closed for the season. There was a woman there who let us in to look around. WOW!!! The chapel is absolutely stunning. The windows depict the mysteries of the rosary and they have a stunning statue of Our Lady of Lourdes where they perceive Our Lady first appeared to Sr. Neuzil.
The woman told me that the white statue of Our Lady of America used in the processions in Wyoming and Alabama had been brought to Rome City last year by some men and a priest who flew in to the local airport for the day. She said these men were buying the place so it could be used by Our Lady of America as a shrine. Does anyone have an update?
God Bless everyone in their efforts.
Just as Our Lady's desire to be placed in the National Shrine as Our Lady of America must be met, this place must also be preserved.
I can envision thousands of people visiting there. If they'd go to a hillside in Conyers, they would certainly make it to Indiana.
Several years ago, my wife and I were going through a tough period in our marriage. After reading about Our Lady of America on another website, my wife convinced me that we should take a roadtrip to Rome City, IN and see for ourselves what was going on. This is so against my normal character, my wife couldn't believe it when I said I would do it. I mean, she wanted me to drive to INDIANA of all places!
Long story, short version: while there, we had a similar experience to that of the Leibolds.
After being allowed inside to use the facilities by one of the staffers, she sat with us for a few moments and told us a little bit about what she knew of the place. She pointed to one of the groundskeepers (who I later discovered was actually the owner)and told us that he could tell us all about what we wanted to know.
After we dicussed Our Lady of America, he reached around his neck and gave us his own medal of Our Lady of America(he said I needed it more than him) and directed us to the hill where he told us we should spend some quiet time there reflecting on what it was we needed as a family. Neither one of us had mentioned anything about our private lives, but this man seemed to know all about us.
We sat down on a bench in front of a beautiful life-size statue of the Holy Family and began to pray the rosary. Butterflies began to flutter all about us as we prayed. We couldn't help but find it most amusing. Then, we looked up in the sky...The sun was spinning in a miraculous display of colors and pulses. We could hardly contain ourselves. Luckily, I had my camcorder and I caught it all on videotape.
When we looked for the man later on, we could not find him anywhere, so we had to leave without saying Thank You. If he is reading this, we want to say, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!
I believe in Our Lady of America and in what is happening in Rome City. I hope that everyone is able to take the time to visit this very special place and feel what it is that has now brought my wife and I closer than we have ever been in our marriage.
This is a fantastic testimony from a credible source and it appears his experience was not unique.
I read about Sylvan Springs on SpiritDaily some years ago and I called the facility to try to talk to the owner.
We talked for a bit and I asked him about whether there had been any mystical events there. He politely stated that all were welcome to come and visit to pray but that he wishes people would come "expecting nothing and take what they are given". I have never forgotten that.
The Holy Spirit is alive and living in each of us and sometimes we get the greatest gifts when we are not expecting anything.
It is a wonderful tribute to Mary that people are beginning to become aware of Our Lady of America. I am more than delighted that the US has finally been consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary which was also a request of Mary's to Sister Mildred. It sure took a long time but we made it. Now all we have to do is pray, pray , and pray some more that the statue is placed in the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Wash. DC. We are living in terribly evil times and we all need to know that Mary, Our Mother has had her instructions followed if the US is to turn around once again to Her Divine Son.
Many of our Bishops say that the installation of the statue in the
Shrine is not their responsibility but the responsibility of the Archbishop of Wash. DC. I personally do not feel this is even an issue. There are so many statues from all over the world in the Shrine, what is the harm in placing the statue of Our Lady of America where she has asked to go?
Anyone reading this I ask to please go to the Our Lady of America official site and pray the prayers which are posted there. The medals , which are magnificent can also be obtained for a meager donation along with the booklet of prayers and the history of Sr. Mildred Neuzil and the request for the statue back in early 1950. In Jesus' name I ask you all to please continue to pray to Mary to intercede for all in the US and protect us all under her mantle of Mercy and Love. God Bless+
thank you all for sharing your witness/testimonies
and know that without doubt--I believe...
That statue of the so-called lady of America is a horrid looking thing. The crown makes it appear as though she has horns on her head. It seems almost insulting to use such a statue to represent the Blessed Virging Mary. The statue of the alleged apparition of Sister Neuzil does not convey the sense of holiness and serenity as other statues of Our Blessed Mother which represent her true apparitions in places such as Fatima and Medjugorje.
God bless you all and protect you from deception.
This post has been removed by a blog administrator.
That wasn't a very nice comment. I would hope people would allow others to comment without retribution.
Please support your beliefs but don't just say something is false if you are not able to provide substantive evidence to support that belief.
Just as many people believe in Medjugorje, many believe it is a bunch of hooey. Full discernment on these apparitions will not begin until all of these seers have passed away. Now that Sr. Neuzil is passed (6 years this Jan 10), the full attention of Church authority is able to review the messages and events surrounding Our Lady of America. Hopefully, these will reach full confirmation very soon and we can all get on about the business of faith-building.
I would really like to know what is the true LEGAL hurdle that yet needs to be navigated for this confirmation. I have read several different perspectives, but it would sure make it easier to help if we knew what the last remaining issue was at this time.
America, the United States in particular…..RUN TO YOUR MOTHER.
It is not important which web site is official or where Our Lady appeared or who did what so far or who gets the credit. What is important is that we listen to heaven when heaven speaks. Millions of souls are at stake!
On this beautiful feast day of the Blessed Mother as the Mother of God, let us all band together in prayer for the success of Our Lady of America with the number one goal of getting her into the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, after a solemn procession in her honor, as she requested. For Our Lady tells us that when that is accomplished, there will be greater miracles than Lourdes and Fatima. Our Lady said, “ It will be a place of wonders”. “I do not promise miracles of the body, but of the soul”. And that my friends is what she is asking for in this country, “conversion of heart”, a turning back to God. “I desire that my children honor me, especially by the purity of their lives”.
Our Lady said, “I promise this, I will bless all those who, either by prayers, labor or material aid, help to erect this shrine”.
Our dear Mother, given to us at the foot of the cross, has been waiting fifty long years for us in the United States to fulfill her request under the title of Our Lady of America. On July 14, 2006 Our Lady of America appeared to a lay person in prayer pleading to “get me there” referring to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. Our Holy Mother is still waiting on her children. Please don’t make her wait any longer.
What can we do?
1. Pray that the minds and hearts of our bishops will be opened to Our Lady’s request. It was very sad to see only one American bishop at the reconsecration of the United States.
2. Read the messages and be familiar with them.
3. Spread the word about the devotion.
4. Download a picture of Our Lady of America and place in honor in your homes.
5. Pray the prayer to the Immaculate Conception written October 5, 1956.
6. Convert your lives and be pure of heart. Help others to do the same.
Happy New Year and God bless.
O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to they.
I can't imagine anyone wanting such a garish counterfeit as the statue of the lady of America in their homes, much less in the National Shrine. Any representation of the Blessed Virgin should evoke feelings of grace and peace and holiness, and this is indeed the case with the beautiful statues that are based on the appearance of Our Lady at places such as Fatima and Lourdes.
Contrarily, the statue of the alleged apparition in Indiana does not evoke such spiritual sentiments but rather suggests an inept mock-imitation of the holy icons of the Blessed Virgin. It is unworthy of reverence and unsuitable as a representation of the Queen of Heaven.
If people wish to venerate our Blessed Mother they should place statues of Our Lady of Lourdes or Fatima in a prominent place in their homes. Those were genuine appartions of the Mother of God, and to honor them in our homes is an expression of our veneration and love towards her and a testimony of our faith in her appearances in those holy places.
Embrace the Grace-ful True Mother of God and shun counterfeits.
God bless you all and protect you from wolves in sheep's clothing.
I don't think the new statue is ugly at all. I think She has a pretty face.
The crown might be a little unflattering...not real feminine.
I offer this for for your discernment...
SpiritDaily pulled the link to this blog after a few hours.
I don't get those guys...If it were a story about an image of The "Virgin Mary" in a dog biscuit or a tree trunk it would have stayed on their site for 5 days.
This is a great site! I think the Blessed Mother would be very pleased to see people talking about all of this.
My wife and I have learned so much more about this apparition and these messages since reading all of the comments. We are planning a trip this summer and will be stopping in to Rome City, IN on our way to New York.
Is there Holy Mass said in the chapel?
Good people,
Don't you find it interesting that an alleged appartion site such as the one in Indiana, which has been approved by a Bishop, has failed to draw many faithful inspite of being approved, while the apparition site in Medjugorje, which does not have Bishop's approval, has grown so vast in its attendance by pilgrims from all the world over, despite the lack of approval?
That is the difference between a place that has the blessing of the Lord and one that hasn't. The approval of God is infinitely more potent to the growth and fruitfulness of an apparition's message and location than the approval of a bishop. The growth and strong pull that genuine appariton sites have are the result of the Divine Presence in those places. Sites such as Fatima and Lourdes and Medjugorje are a mutual work between God and His faithful, but places such as the site in Rome City are solely human efforts that lack the help of God.
This is part of the reason that even though there are many faithful who live closer to the alleged apparition site in Indiana, they prefer to make the long journey to Medjugorje rather than the shorter trip to Indiana. It testifies to the great advantage that God's blessing imparts to any work. Isn't God wonderful?!
I would never consider going to Medjugorje but I will gladly continue going to Rome City, Indiana.
My husband and I used to make the trip to Conyers, GA on a regular basis and it was quite redeeming. My husband has since passed and now I have been making the trip, with my daughter and grandson, to Rome City. We stay in a quaint Amish community and take a few hours to visit the apparition site each day. It is absolutely wonderful.
You can have Medjugorje all for yourself. I'll take Our Lady of America on her home court anyday.
It's time for Our Lady of America!
It saddens me to see that some are so skeptical of this apparition, but I can certainly understand and respect their concerns. I understand that we all have to test what the Spirit tells us, but to definitely not believe it because it has not yet been approved has nothing to do with the validity of Sister Mary Ephram's vision. It Was already approved with an Imprimatur and a Nihil Obstat in 1963 on the messags; and a medal of Our Lady of America's image was struck under the supervison of an Archbishop years and years ago soon after it happened. The choices made after that Archbishop passed away were, of my opinion, choices of man not of God. Please have your opinions, which you have a right to, but yet keep an open mind to the very possibility this is one of many that have not had the backing needed. Remember it did have the backing originally, and that is what we must remember and pray about to know the truth and the way on this for each of us.
Pray about it, skepticism is good as long as minds are kept open to other possibilities. Please for Our Lady's sake and the sake of God's people, pray about it and the truth of this will be given to each of us by the Holy Spirit!!
I also prayed to be sure this was of God when first hearing about it, and I am one who is so convinced I will go to battle for it. For those who have no interest in believing this, that is fine. That is your right and the free will God gives us all.
I am boldly speaking for Our Lady of America when I say, please do not discount without prayer and discernment from the Holy Spirit. If it is still not for you than put your energy and support in the other visions that you support. For all, just please pray for our country and our world in this coming year and century!!
God bless,
in the name of the Immaculate Virgin, Our Lady of America
May God Bless everyone at The Our Lady of America Center and at this most special place in Rome City, IN for their loving commitment to Our Most Blessed Mother. I am proud of all of you.
Thank you for making this website available for me to comment.
My prayer:
"Oh, Holy Spirit, come down upon us all. Bring us together in love and commitment so that we may be considered worthy of the promises of Christ!
Let us joyfully, and openly, share the burdens of fulfilling Our Lady of America's requests.
Let us demand purity in the lives of our children by first effecting change in the media.
Let us teach them to lead the world to salvation by our own example of love and caring and to not allow ourselves to be lead astray by the worldly temptations of wastefulness and greed!
I ask this in Jesus' name, Amen."
That is a beautiful prayer. Thank you for sharing.
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Keep up the great work. It very impressive. Enjoyed the visit!
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