Miracle in Montana – The Our Lady of Apparitions Story

Miracle in Montana - The Our Lady of Apparitions Story

There is a historical moment in Montana history that seems to me to have been forgotten to time.  But it came at a pivotal point in our state history as the Catholic Church began missionary programs in the early to mid 1800's.

Many of us are familiar with the Flathead Valley and the beauty that it holds.  But it also holds significant meaning for many as the location of the appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary during Christmas Eve in 1841.

St. Mary Mission and a Small Boy Wanting to Be Baptized

Father Pierre-Jean De Smet established the St. Mary Mission in the Bitterroot Valley in 1841.  The church would be built and moved into by the following year.  But during Christmas of 1841, a small child would make an incredible mark on our state's history.

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A young Native American boy named Paul was hoping to be baptized by Father De Smet but struggled to learn the prayers or catechism.  But on Christmas Eve, Little Paul wanted one more opportunity to receive sacrament.  He entered a hut in the small village, but instead of a person, he encountered the apparition of the Blessed Saint Mary.

According to the National Catholic Register, Father De Smet recounted the tale from Little Paul:

I could see her heart, from which rays of light burst forth and shone upon me. When I first beheld all this I was frightened, but afterwards my fear left me; my heart was warmed, my mind clear, and I do not know how it happened, but all at once I knew my prayers.

The following day, Christmas Day, Little Paul was able to recite his prayers without a problem.  He, along with 150 other individuals were baptized by Father De Smet himself.

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The Possibility of a Second Miracle and Apparition Appearing in Same Location

The St. Mary Mission also may have been witness to a second miracle and appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Further accounts of the time include a story of a young girl that also felt the presence.

The original location of the church was built on the site that the young girl perished, but not before she was able to be baptized and make the following declaration before passing:

Listen to the black-gowns when they come — they have the true prayer — do all they tell you — they will come — and on this very spot where I die, they will build the house of prayer.

Aug. 15, 1842, Father De Smet wrote that:

on the day we took possession of the Blessed Mary’s new demesne, we set up a large cross in the middle of the camp, a circumstance rendered more striking from having, as they assured me, been predicted by the young girl called Mary, of whom I spoke to you before.

To learn more about the incredible miracles of the Our Lady of Apparitions in Montana and see more of the historical St. Mary Church and paintings of the miracle, visit here.