Our Lady
of Akita

On June 12, 1973, Sr. Agnes Sasagawa was praying in her convent in Akita, Japan, when she saw brilliant rays of light that emanated from the tabernacle. The same miracle happened again over the next two days. On June 28, a cross-shaped wound appeared on the palm of Sr. Agnes' left hand. It bled profusely and caused her much pain.

On July 6, while she was praying, Sr. Agnes heard a voice come from the statue of the Virgin Mary that was in the chapel. It was the first message. The same day, some sisters discovered drops of blood that were flowing from the right hand of the statue. This flow of blood occurred four times. The wound on the hand of the statue remained until September 29. But that same day, the statue began to "sweat", especially from her forhead and neck.

On August 3, 1973, Sr. Agnes received a second message and on October 13 of the same year, the third and final message. On January 4, 1975, the statue of Our Lady began to cry and continued crying on different occasions for 6 years and 8 months. The last time was on September 15, 1981, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. There were a total of 101 lacrimations.

The name of the visionary, Sister "Agnes", means lamb. She was healed of deafness, which was verified with no medical explanation. This miracle was a sign of the authenticity of the visits of Our Lady.

On April 22, 1984, after eight years of investigation and having consulted with the Holy See, the messages of Our Lady of Akita were approved by the bishop of the Diocese of Niigata, Japan, Bishop John Shojiro Ito. He declared that the events of Akita are of supernatural origin and authorized the veneration of the Holy Mother of Akita in the whole diocese. In the Japanese town of Akita, a statue of the Madonna has shed blood, sweat and tears according to the testimony of more than 500 Christians and non-Christians, including the Buddhist mayor of the town. A religious, Agnes Katsuko Sasagawa has received the stigmata and messages from Our Lady.

In June of 1988, Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, imparted the definitive judgment regarding the events and messages of Akita, judging them to be trustworthy and worthy of faith. The Cardinal observed taht Akita is a continuation of the messages of Fatima.

July 6, 1973
At three in the morning, Sr. Agnes' guardian angel appeared to her and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the one who is at your side and guards you. Come and follow me. Do not pray only for your sins, but in reparation for the sins of humanity. The contemporary world wounds the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus with its ingratitude and offenses. The wound in the hand of the Blessed Virgin Mary is much deeper than yours. Now let us go to the chapel.

Upon arriving at the chapel, the angel disappeared. Sr. Agnes knelt before the altar, facing the tabernacle, in profound adoration. She then approached the statue of the Virgin Mary to look at the wound that the image presented on her hand. As soon as she did, she heard a sweet voice coming from the statue. Sr. Agnes was deaf, but in a miraculous way she received the first message from Our Lady: "My daughter, my novice, you have obeyed me well in abandoning all to follow me. Is the infirmity of your ears painful? Your deafness will be healed, be sure.

Be patient. This is the last test. Does the wound of your hand cause you to suffer? Pray in reparation for the sins of men. Each person in this community is my irreplaceable daughter. Do you say well the prayer of the Handmaids of the Eucharist? Then, let us pray it together.
"Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, truly present in Holy Eucharist, I consecrate my body and soul to be entirely one with Your Heart, being sacrificed at every instant on all the altars of the world and giving praise to the Father pleading for the coming of His Kingdom. Please receive this humble offering of myself. Use me as You will for the glory of the Father and the salvation of souls. Most holy Mother of God, never let me be separated from Your Divine Son. Please defend and protect me as Your Special Child. Amen." When the prayer was finished, the Heavenly Voice said: "Pray very much for the Pope, Bishops, and Priests. Since your Baptism you have always prayed faithfully for them. Continue to pray very much...very much. Tell your superior all that passed today and obey him in everything that he will tell you. He has asked that you pray with fervor." That same day, July 6, the cross-shaped wound that appeared on the right hand of the statue of Our Lady began to bleed.

On July 25, Bishop Ito went to the convent to verify that the hand of the statue was bleeding. The following day, the image's hand bled again. This time, there was more blood and it was darker. That day, Sr. Agnes felt a violent pain in the wound on the palm of her hand. On Friday, July 27, the angel told her: "Your pains will end today. Guard with much zeal the memory of the blood of Mary and engrave it on your heart. The wound of Mary has a very important significance: It has been done to obtain your conversion, to implore peace, to repair for the ingratitude, offenses, outrages and injuries that God receives. Have great esteem for the devotion to the Precious Blood of Christ."

August 3, 1973
"My daughter, my novice, do you love the Lord? If you love the Lord, listen to what I have to say to you."

"It is very important...You will convey it to your superior."

"Many men in this world afflict the Lord. I desire souls to console Him to soften the anger of the Heavenly Father. I wish, with my Son, for souls who will repair by their suffering and their poverty for the sinners and ingrates."

In order that the world might know His anger, the Heavenly Father is preparing to inflict a great chastisement on all mankind. With my Son I have intervened so many times to appease the wrath of the Father. I have prevented the coming of calamities by offering Him the sufferings of the Son on the Cross, His Precious Blood, and beloved souls who console Him forming a cohort of victim souls.

Prayer, penance and courageous sacrifices can soften the Father's anger. I desire this also from your community...that it love poverty, that it sanctify itself and pray in reparation for the ingratitude and outrages of so many men.