Marian Apparition Part 3.

Many people were climbing up while others descended. On our way up, we met a man and asked if he had just come from the peak. He confirmed he had and told us he had just experienced an apparition, seeing Maria multiple times. When we asked how we could see Maria, he explained it was easy and that Maria was appearing to almost everyone who came to see her. This gave me hope—I believed that my effort to hike the hill was faith enough for Maria to appear to me. He advised us to stare directly at the sun upon reaching the peak. After concentrating for some time, a white cloud would appear, and Maria would emerge alongside it, wearing her garment. We trusted his advice and continued our climb.

The hill was steeper than I had anticipated, and I began panting and sweating. I suggested to my companion that we take it slow, resting occasionally. During one of our breaks, groups of 10–15 people passed us on their way up. Finally, we reached the peak, excited to witness what everyone else had seen.

Now, I was wearing sunglasses, but my companion wasn’t. I wondered how we were supposed to stare directly at the sun—it’s dangerous for the eyes, and no one can do it for more than a minute. Why hadn’t anyone thought to sell protective glasses for this purpose? I remembered the 2013 solar eclipse in Packwach District, where people brought special glasses to watch it. Merchants sold them alongside T-shirts and made huge profits. Why wasn’t anyone selling such glasses here? I decided to use my sunglasses.

Three minutes into staring at the sun, a woman advised us to humble ourselves in prayer first; only then would Maria appear. I sat on a large rock, ready to start praying. The view from the peak was breathtaking—you could see the entire town, surrounded by beautiful scenery and fresh air. It was a place I never wanted to leave. Just as I began to pray, a woman screamed with joy, claiming Maria had appeared to her. What? We all rushed to where she was standing. She was ecstatic and thanked Maria for appearing to her. Over 15 people gathered around her, eager to see what she had seen.

My expectations were now sky-high. I wondered what spiritual realm I was about to experience. I desperately wanted to see Maria with my own eyes. Unfortunately, I saw nothing. Most of us saw nothing. I blamed my lack of faith for not seeing her. The woman encouraged us to remain calm and focused in the direction she indicated in the pine forest. After a minute, a man shouted, “Oh, Maria is here! I see her in her full glory, wearing her gown!” But my companion and I still saw nothing.

They showed us a specific spot between the trees where we should look. I saw something resembling a small tree branch, though I couldn’t tell where it was attached. With a longer stare, this dark shape seemed to enlarge. The women around us screamed that Maria was wearing a glittering blue gown and was expanding and turning. Was this Maria? To me, it seemed like the moving clouds in the background were enlarging the shape. They insisted it was Maria. My companion asked why he couldn’t see her face. I couldn’t either. We both stared in vain.

Among the group, some men were skeptical, but one suddenly screamed that he had seen Maria in the clouds, describing her garment as blue. I tried again to spot her but still saw nothing. Meanwhile, those who claimed to see her knelt and began praying with their rosaries. Since we didn’t have rosaries, we decided to descend.