The Pope becomes a pilgrim in the Virgin Mary House
After a day of diplomatic activity in Ankara, the pope flew to Izmir from where he traveled by helicopter to the site of where spiritual tradition says Mary spent the last years of her life.
Pope Benedict XVI has arrived in Izmir on Wednesday morning and became the 3rd pope to become a pilgrim after visiting the Virgin Mary House in Izmir. The Pope will arrive in Istanbul on Wednesday afternoon and visit the Greek Patriarchy.
Benedict said in his sermon: “From here in Ephesus, a city blessed by the presence of Mary Most Holy — who we know is loved and venerated also by Muslims – let us lift up to the Lord a special prayer for peace between peoples.”
The Koran describes Mary as the virgin mother of Jesus, whom Muslims consider the greatest prophet after Mohammed, and some Muslims – especially women – visit shrines to her.
The rough stone house where she is said to have died stands amid olive and pine trees outside the ancient Greek-Roman city of Ephesus.
No other citizens other than the guests of the ritual were admitted to the ritual zone in Ephesus. Even press members and security officials are standing away from the ritual area and hearing the hymns from far.
Pope Benedict will spend the night in Istanbul and participate a rite in the Greek Patriarchy which will be followed by his public speech from the balcony of the Patriarchy. Pope Benedict will also visit Hagia Sophia Museum and Sultanahmet Mosque on Thursday.
35 Responses for "The Pope becomes a pilgrim in the Virgin Mary House"
As the writer and producer of the Mary’s House video I have been privledged to come to know the house and its history rather well. One of the most intriguing aspects for me now is St. Anne Catherine Emmerich’s view that Mary’s tomb will be revealed for all to see in Ephesus just as she described it behind the house. For many reasons I believe the time for that revelation will be soon ie. within the next decade. Also, given the Muslim’s reverence for the Blessed Mother there is no doubt she is the one who will ultimately bring them to Jesus as she has already begun to do. Perhaps that is the reason she inspired me to have the film translated into Arabic and 8 other languages. As the title of our film says “All Are Invited” (To Mary’s House”) The only place on earth where Muslims and christians pray side by sisde on a daily basis! Stay tuned!!! BIll Luceno
I watched the video of Mary’s House last night and it warmed my heart. I found it to be beautiful as Mary is herself. I have a great devotion to Our Blessed Mary and I am very sad to think that this was the first time to see Her House. Would you please send me more information about Mary’s House and please tell me where Her House is? I don’t even know what country it is.
Sincerly,
Linda Barros
JAM CONFUSED RE MARY’S HOUSE. TRUE SHE MAY HAVE LIVED THERE.BUT I BELIEVE MARY WAS ASSUMED INTO HEAVEN, HER FEAST WHICH IS CELEBRATED ON AUGUST 15TH. PLS ADVISE ME. IN THE STORY I VIEWED ON TV, MARY PASSED IN OLD AGE AND EMTOMBED BEHIND THE HOUSE…..????
i do not believe the virgin mary was raised from death. she has to wait the same as everybody else until the last day in her grave to rise again.
Once entombed, she was found gone, with only the shroud intact. That means she was assumed into heaven. The early Christians believed Mary was assumed into heaven which is consistent with the aforementioned discovery.
I am so happy Mary’s House (actual location) was found and revealed so many years ago. It is indeed a Holy Shrine. Yes, many seers have revealed over the centuries that Mary lived another 15 years after Jesus was Crucified in Jerusalem, and she did travel with St. John to Ephesus where she lived there and died. After being placed into a newly-made stone tomb, Mary was quickly assumed or taken to Heaven by her son Jesus. Those who deny knowledge of this should avail themselves of the readings of many Ssints who were known Seers.
does anybody know if the wishers you make when you are there come true
If anybody had read “A poem to Man-God” by maria valtorta, an italian visionary, whom Jesus gave his whole life to be written in a book. If you read it you will know whether it is true or not, I have read it and it has many unknown truth and unravels the mystery that many people think is a mystery. Well it does said about the surrounding of the house where mother mary stayed with john. In it john finds mary ill and she dies and then john, also the most loved by jesus, and the author of revelations, believed that mary will not be allowed to decay in this world because of her sinless origin and being the mother of life. He prays and sits by her death bed. There is nobody else… around. He falls asleep praying… then he is awakening to not find her body in front of him… then he rushes outside his window.. and he sees mary being assumptioned into heaven by angels… he also has the vision of jesus receiving her and she being enthroned as the queen of heaven, her beloved mother mary. thatz the story… Well something in life cannot be asked for proof but the proof slowly reveals itself.. Read, koran, read several private revelations, read the 4000 or so old vedas given to the sages of india on basis is the hindu religion which says about jesus and his virgin mother and his crucifixion… search for “prajapathy” in google and then you can read this. praja means people… and “pathy” means saviour.
Everything is bonded to each other…
Wether Mary was buried or assumptioned into heaven is up to different interpretations by the different denominations that make up Christianity. The important thing is what Augustine just blogged “everything is bonded to each other”. We are all a part of the same whole… the same God. This is what unites us and what’s important.
I just visited the House recently and the funny thing is that by “coincidence” I learned about the house on that same day. It was such a blessing to have been brought there by great Muslim friends. Not only that but to pray side by side with others of another faith was truly euphoric, as if that is the way it should be.
You should try it sometime.
There is no need to “bring” any one to their God but to “come” together and bow before God.
By the way, I am Catholic and do believe in the assumption of Mary into heaven. But I am accepting and respectful of those who do not believe this.
I have also been to Mary’s house with my wife in 1988. I found it a most moving experience. Perhaps my memory is contorted as I remember a small alcove on the right hand side of the altar in which there were crutches, walking sticks and other aids. In the photos above there is only a very shallow alcove with a painting of Mary and no crutches or other aids present. Is this correct? I took particular notice as I also was using crutches after polio in 1951,when I visited the site in 1988.
I WOULD LOVE TO VISIT THE VIRGEN MARY’S HOUSE, IT WILL BE A BLESSING TO ME AND MY FAMILY.
I’ve just googled the mystery surrounding the last few years of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Just a few nights ago I had an argument with my relatives re: this issue. My relatives were on a recent cruise, which included a visit to this sacred site. Being a Catholic I was not informed of such an event, I was truly skeptical of such an event. The main reason for my skepticism is distance of travel. Especially, in those days (more than two thousand years ago).
However, after looking at facts provided at this website. I have become a beliver, and would like to apologize to anyone for my skepticism.
I have recently been to the blessed place with my husband. When we were planning the holiday to Turkey I was researching the places to visit and that’s when I came to know Blessed Virgin Mary’s House. I told my husband that we will make a point to visit but on the journey they came obstacles as if to test me not to reach there. The tour guide became an idiot and told us he cannot take us there as no other person wanted to go to visit the house. To cut the story short I prayed to God that if Blessed Mary calls me to her I will reach there and so my husband and I did reach and got her Blessings. Yes if your belief is true to reach her you will be there one day.
You are looking up to someone that is not in any way going to intercede for you.
Read the Bible.
This is total paganism.
Are we not all asked to intercede for one another? I think that’s part of being the Communion of Saints. And I’m a protestant theologian!
But I agree, the dynamic of prayer is that we are drawn into God’s own lovingkindness, through the Son and the Spirit, and Mary is the prototype of being so drawn in, not the source of the healing.
I visited the House of Mary on 11/19/08. My younger sister had heart surgery 11/7/08 and as I stood at the altar one of my prays was for her recovery. I pray every day for my sister’s recovery and especially pray to the Blessed Mother as I feel a very special bond after visiting her home in Ephesus. In December while still in the hospital, my sister told me and a nurse that her “Mother Mary” was there (our mother’s name is Lucy). I believe with all my heart that when she said her “mother Mary” was there that she was talking about the pressence of our Blessed Mother at her side. Mary was letting me know, through my sister, that she hears my prayers and is watching over my sister. It’s been 2 months since her surgery, she has had one critical complication after another, has coded twice, but is still fighting for her life. I know that our Blessed Mother is watching over her and whether she leads my sister back to us or to her home in Heaven with Jesus, I know that Mary is here with her. Hail Mary, full of Grace!
Airmaria has no apologies and Marycast.
It is not even dabatable. This is as obvious as gravity.
Mary had to be assumed into heaven. If not Jesus isnt God.
You may not thoink that , but atheist or theist understands the ramification of attacking Mary , it destroys Jesus .
I went through the same as you Zaytoon. While on a cruise ship to Turkey in 2007, i was informed by my tour guide when booking for the excursion tour to the House, that it was a waste of a trip and that it was only a reconstruction of the house and that it wasn’t even a church. With the help of Our Lady, i explained to the guide that i had traveled from the ends of the earth to reach that little stone house! I enjoyed the sights of the ancient city of Ephesus on the way up the mountain and journeyed on praying and giving thanks to God for the wonderful life he has given me in the 50 years of my life. Outdoor Mass was in progress on reaching the house and there was beautiful singing as i joined in the service. I left my intentions in the house, checked out the back of the house, drank the miraculous water and came away filled with blessings!
Mary was just a young woman who became pregnant without any help from Joseph. And, she made up the tale of her kid being the son of God.
Had there been wire coat hangers back in her day we wouldn’t have Christianity today.
Moira good to hear from you on what you and I, have experiened going to the Blessed place. Just to let you know that what I had asked for with sacred Mary’s blessings, God has now fulfilled my wishes! If what you are asking for, is right in God’s eye then, your wish will be rightfully handed to you.
My wife and I have just returned from a visit to Ephesus in Turkey’s Ionian Sea and our visit included a trip up Bulbul mountain by bus to the beautiful site of the House of the Virgin Mary.
The fact that three Popes have made recent pilgrimages to the shrine was unknown to us until we arrived.
It is beautiful.
Having visited many of the more popular Marian shrines and churches like Lourdes, Medjugore, and Chartres, I can declare that the Ephesus Marian secret must be one of the best kept in the Catholic church.
If you are devout of Mary, or looking for a miracle to shake up your life, this is a wonderful place to travel – and fairly easy to get to. Every cruise ship visiting Kusadasi offers the trip to Ephesus, and the House of the Virgin Mary, just a few miles journey from the port. Both are amazing, surely among the wonders of the world … but the House of the Virgin Mary is very special indeed.
Blessings,
Andi
My husband and I visited Ephesus on June 05, 2009 and found it to be profoundly spiritual. If you believe in the Virgin Mary you must go to the House of the Virgin Mary. We lit candles and said prayers for our sick friend Jay. We asked Mary to let him have some quality of life and if it be God’s will take him swiftly so he will not suffer. We were told that he was up and about that day after we prayed and he was able to attend a Church Organ Service on Sunday.
There was a mass going on when we arrived at Ephesus and a nun was sitting next to Mary’s House reading her missal and praying. She was dressed in blue habit. It was a breath taking experience.
I will pray for the individuals who blaspheme Mary and pray that she will forgive them.
Glenda
I visited the shrine of the Virgin Mary 9 years ago, and carried home some of the well water. I gave my son the water to drink over a period of days and for the first time in two years his Crohns Disease went into remission…..he came off his steroid treatment and was well for almost another two years, also, his ‘flare ups’ have greatly declined in frequency, he keeps a small statue of the Virgin Mary that I bought in Ephusis on his nightstand. He is 21yrs old now and I believe that his faith and our prayers have kept him well for so long…….Yes, I believe in miracles !
to alfredo:
that is what many did, they read the bible on their
own without any guidance – look at the results and you are
one of them. you ask intercessions from friends to pray for
you. is that paganism to you?
joanne,
dormition that was how the early church described her
living this world, meaning deep sleep whether dead or alive
that is debatable.
these are the bible figures that did not taste death
God took them with HIM alive body and soul- ENOCH AND ELIJA.
HOW MUCH MORE THE MOTHER OF JESUS. if your were Jesus
what would you do to your mother.
ALF,
DONT BLAME HER BLAME THE TWELVE WITNESSES, THEY WROTE
NOT HER
This is beautiful and I too believe the Blessed Virgin Mary, our mother, is with you, your family and intimately close to your sister. I pray that she will continue to bless you and your family.
Our Lady's House must be a very Holy House. We would love to visit Mother's House. Hope and pray one day God would help us to visit the Most Blessed House.
Me and my mother visited Marys House yesterday. Like others we were told that it wasnt worth seeing by the guide and he told of the wonders of the museum instead and we were nearly swayed but something made us want to go anyway. Only us and 3 others of a big tour group ended up going. We walked up to the house in the beautiful surroundings (?n rather a hurry as the guide did not what to be there) and entered the church. What happened next brings me to tears just thinking about it as we walked in i felt something so powerful come over me and started crying my mother also started sobbing it was a feeling i cant even explain i felt as if i was truely touched and filled with love and emotion. ? wanted to fall to the floor in prayer. When we left we were in a state of shock (in a good way) about what had happened. ?m not sure what happened and am still trying to come to terms with what happened but feel as if my life has changed in some way.
My wife and I just visited Ephesus and the House of Mary in the last three weeks and it was a profoundly spiritual experience. Blessed be Mary. I know that God and Mary arranged this trip because there is absolutely no way we would have ever known about this holy place. Ephesus was listed in kind of a non-obtrusive way at the bottom of our itinerary when we had joined to travel on the Queen Victoria. What a surprise to find out information about Mary and her sacred house. The visit to Mary's House was the higlight of visiting Turkey, the Greek Islands, and Italy. I pray that God will reveal more about the blessed Mary in years to come………………..for us all to believe and to increase our faith and our works.
Blessed Mother Mary, Pure and Beautiful Mother of God. I greet and thank you Mother Mary for God Jesus and for forgiving us when we speak ill of you. I praise and thank Father God for you. Thank you that through you many people have been restored to good health and blessed in numerous ways. I love, honour, empathize and revere you so. I pray that my spiritual eyes will be opened so that I may see you, touch you and be in your presence to love you and show you my gratitude. In Mighty Jesus’ Name, with the Power of The Holy Spirit, as it is Written. Amen and Glory to Magnificent God.
The question of Mary’s Assumption and/or Dormition (Anglicans and Roman Catholics more often use the first term; Eastern Orthodox the latter) is actually far less dramatic than the living Elijah being lifted by a chariot into Heaven. Mary, whether recently deceased or merely “almost so”, was lifted up to that place where all believers will, God willing, someday join her. Why? She was the Theotokos– the God-bearer, who bore the incarnate Christ Jesus in her womb for nine months before delivering Him to save the rest of the world. She was the very first Christian, believing in Him from the moment of His conception. For Jesus Christ, Son of God and yet son of Mary, to allow her body to moulder in the ground, to be eaten by worms and such creatures, would be the height of disrespect of His holy Mother, and so Jesus had angels bring the body of the Blessed Virgin from her tomb (which in some Orthodox teachings, was found to be full of white roses when opened).
This isn’t some weird subversion of Protestantism– this is simply the love and respect of a Son for His blessed mother.
I made a retreat at the Replica of the Holy House of Ephesus near Jamaica, Vermont. What a holy place and Don and Mary were very loving and hospitable. They are there to bring the Love of Jesus and His Mother to a very needy society.
Thank you Mary and Don.
Fr. Ron Mathews, Amarillo, Texas
When I was on holiday in Turkey, I went on a trip to Ephesus and visited the Holy Mother’s house, I had not known before that she had travelled there to live and die, and that different religions visit the house, the distance, especially in those days seems hard to believe,but being a catholic made it wonderful experience, I now believe that this is a true story
Leave a Reply