Marian Apparitions at Borg in-Nadur

Borg in-Nadur

“Borg in-Nadur”: “Borg” refers to a group of stones, or buildings, in archaic maltese; “Nadur” refers to a hill in the same ancient dialect.

Among the Meglithic temples that are found in Malta, one of them is that of Borg in-Nadur, which is found in Birzebbuga (in the southern part of the island), on the right side of the road leading from Ghar Dalam to the bay of Birzebbuga. This temple lies on the top of a mound lying between two valleys, the one known as Dalam Valley (Wied Dalam) and the one called Zembaq Valley (Wied Zembaq). The temple was built during the Stone Age, in the last phase of the Temple Period. It is possible that the Stone Age population completely disappeared, and the island remained uninhabited. Archeologists think that this could have occurred because of illness or hunger. Another reason for the destruction of the Stone Age population could have been the result of attacks by Bronze Age tribes that landed on our shores.

It appears that, during this era, that is about 2400BC, the way of life in these islands underwent a dramatic change. The shapes of pottery changed drastically. The rituals of the dead changed from burial to cremation. The use of bronze appeared. During the following centuries, places chosen for habitation also took on new forms. The preferred sites were now those which helped in defence, like a promontary surrounded by steep hills. The temple of Borg in-Nadur was one of the few Stone Age temples which happened to be in such a place, and therefore remained in use. Around the temple ruins, it seems that the Bronze Age inhabitants created a large fortress, surrounded by tall walls that furthur strengthened the natural defence around this place. Today, the most spectacular part of these walls that remains faces the mound from the NorthWest, where there is a circular wall, in the shape of a tower, that extends from the straight wall cutting across the peak.

Borg in-Nadur has now become associated with the alleged marian apparitions to the visionary and stigmatist Angelik Caruana who is being closely followed by Fr Hayden Williams OFMCap.

Angelik Caruana

Angelik, visionary and stigmatist from the island of Malta, was born on 19 April 1966. He is married to Catherine and had four children. He works as a care worker with disabled children. The whole story started when Angelik's wife, Catherine, bought a statue of the Immaculate Conception on 17 January 2006 from which tears of blood started to flow on 23 January 2007. Other supernatural phenomena followed. This event started to change Angelik's life.

Angelik has been favourved by heaven with the gift of apparitions of Jesus Christ, frequent apparitions of the Mother of God, the stigmata, visible and direct contact with the guardian angel, apparitions of souls from purgatory, attackes by the devil and receiving Holy Communion by the angel.

First Apparition at Home

On 21 April 2006 Angelik had the first apparition of the Mother of God whom she asked him to refer to her as "The Lady". Angelik has given witness of the first appariton of the Lady: "One Friday evening, the 21st April 2006, at about 7.00pm, some people visited us at home. Through the media they had heard about the event of the statue of Our Lady in our house. When they came up, in the hallway, I went to show them the framed picture of the statue with tears of blood.

All of a sudden, I fell back with the picture in my hand and felt my head hit the ground. I cannot explain how I fell or how I did not hit anything. Something which amazed me was the fact that I did not open or move my hand as I was going to fall, and how I did not try to hold on to anything. When I fell I did not remain conscious of who there was around me or of what was happening. I could see and hear nothing else.

A one point I saw a very strong light which would blind you if you were to look at it. The light was like sunlight but very strong. I don’t know how I could look at it without blinding my eyes. In the middle of this light I saw for the first time a woman that I now know is The Lady. Her description is found in another part of the website.

The Lady stared at me continuously without moving. At one point, she moved her lips and started groaning these words several times: “Pray! Pray the rosary and get others to say the rosary”. Her voice was a groan, that of someone who is asking something of you. She was like a girl who wants something of her mother which her mother won’t gve her. The voice was beautiful, sweet, gentle and soft. Yet at the same time I felt that this woman was obliging me to encourage others to pray the rosary. I felt her burdening me with this responsibility.

During this scene, I felt an extraordinary happiness and I wished to remain there on the ground. I did not want this woman to leave. Yet at one point, just as though someone switched off a searchlight, the light started fading away slowly and the woman started to fade along with the light. The last part of her to disappear was her face and her eyes were slightly open. She had the face of someone begging.

As soon as the woman faded away I once again started hearing the others around me telling me to get up. They lifted me onto the sofa. I checked my head to see if there was anything but I had nothing. Not even pain. Then I went to cook spaghetti for the children.

Although this woman did not tell me who she was, I felt that she was Our Lady. Her recollection, honesty and simplicity were amazing. Her conversation pierced my heart like someone spearing you with a lance. Confronted with all this, I felt I couldn’t do anything."

Apparitions during MIR Prayer Meetings

Angelik's continued to have frequent apparitions that also took place during the MIR prayer meetings about which Our Lady said that they are very dear to her and that she has chosen these meetings to manifest herself.

MIR prayer meetings (MIR meaning 'peace' in Croatian) are the fruit of a pilgrimage of 53 Maltese persons to Medjugorje in September, 2005. Andre Vassallo Grant organized the pilgrimage, while Fr Hayden was the spiritual director.

This pilgrimage was a moment of grace and conversion for many who were there, so much so, that when back in Malta, these persons asked Fr Hayden to continue bringing them together for prayer. A few weeks after this request, the first MIR prayer meeting took place in the chapel of the retreat house at Lunziata, Rabat. There were around a hundred persons for this first meeting. The meeting continued to be held in various localities and with regularity. Attendance has progressively grown to over five hundred.

The main aim of the MIR prayer meeting is conversion. What is understood by conversion is the turning to the love of God as found in Jesus Crucified and the reply to this love in one's life. Christians too are continually called to walk this path of conversion that involves the person on various levels: heart, mind and behaviour.

MIR meetings are always open to anyone who wishes to attend. No one holds a particular membership. Those who wish to enter upon a path of prayer and love for the Crucified Christ may always attend. MIR is not a group or programme of formation, but time for prayer and conversion for whoever wishes to attend. Persons who are involved in groups, movements, etc, may peacefully continue to do so while coming to some Mir meetings for their own journey and prayer.

MIR is conducted in a simple way and expresses the Catholic faith. The meeting begins with the recitation of the Rosary that prepares those who attend for the core of the meeting which is the celebration of the Mass. After Mass there is an hour of Eucharistic Adoration. Before and during the meeting, some priests celebrate the sacrament of confession. The meeting takes place once every two weeks and is about two and a half hours long. Sometimes meetings or retreats are organized for particular categories of persons, for example youths, married couples, etc.

Andre Vassallo Grant is the coordinator of the meetings of Mir, while Fr Hayden conducts them. Information about where and when the meetings take place is given at the meeting itself and is broadcast on various media.

First Apparition at Borg in-Nadur

Angelik recoounts: "During the apparition of the 28th November 2006, the Lady told me that, in the future, she wished to appear to me in Borg in-Nadur, Birzebbuga. I informed Fr Hayden immediately and he told me to go together with him to see this place. Two days later, the Lady insisted that we go to Borg in-Nadur.

We planned to go there on the 1st December at about 3.30pm. On that day, a short while before, my Guardian Angel informed me that the Lady was going to show me the place where she wished to appear. My wife Catherine and Fr Hayden and I went together.

When we arrived we waited in silence to see what would happen. At one point, at about 4.00pm, I heard the voice of the Lady calling me: “Angelik, come here! Angelik, come here!” I don’t know how to explain what happened. I started walking - my feet led me, of their own accord, to a particular place. I walked straight ahead without looking at the rough ground. Later, Fr Hayden told me that I was walking quickly and that he started calling me, but I could not hear anything except for the Lady’s voice calling me.

As soon as I reached a particular place, a strong light appeared from the sky, which was different from the usual one seen in other apparitions. It seemed like a ball of fire. I knelt down and the Lady came and gave me this message: “Tell Fr Hayden what I am going to tell you. I am being sent by God to Malta, at Birzebbuga, on the hill of Borg in-Nadur. I want conversion! I have chosen this place. I will that in the future, on this hill, people will start to come to pray as I am going to continue coming here.”

The Lady continued telling me: “Angelik, take a stone from the ground and later hand it to Fr Hayden. Tell him to take it along to the next MIR and to show it to the people and to tell them that it is from Borg in-Nadur and that it was given us by the Lady.” At that very moment, I picked a stone from the ground and told Fr Hayden all that the Lady was telling me.

After the apparition, Fr Hayden suggested that we could put a cross to mark the place where I saw the Lady."

The Rosary at Borg in-Nadur

Angelik has described what happens when the Mother of God asks him to go to pray the rosary at Borg in-Nadur: "On the 26th of May, 2007, the Lady asked to go to Borg in-Nadur every Wednesday as from the 13th June, 2007, onwards. Whenever the Lady asks me to go to pray the rosary in her presence on the hill of Borg in-Nadur, I always go. She is the one who chooses place and time. There were times when Fr Hadyen asked me not to go. I obeyed him, as the Lady always insists that I obey him and the Church.

The moment I arrive, I wait for the angel to come for me. He asks me to remove my sandals because it is a holy place. Sometimes, just as the angel arrives, he gives me communion either on my hands or on my tongue. It is not up to me where. I then go up to where the cross is.

Souls from purgatory have at times come to the open space there is in front of the cross. They come for us to pray for them. Some of them tell me their name, the cause of their death and when they died.

When I climb up to the cross, from the side of the East I see the sky open and a ray of bright light come in the direction of the cross. Then a bright glow appears and the Lady come and the sky closes once more. From that moment on I am unable to see or hear anything except the Lady and whatever else she permits. Sometimes the Lady comes smiling and at other times she comes weeping, smiling more frequently than weeping. She comes with the palms of her hands together and with rosary-beads.

When she arrives I sing “Ave Maria” and then say: “Praised be Jesus Christ!” It was Fr Hayden who asked me to begin to say these words. Before other things she often gives me a message. She then makes the sign of the cross. In this way I understand that I am to start the rosary. During the rosary, the Lady only prays the Glory be.”

During the Salve Regina, the Lady goes round over all those present. I imagine that she would be praying for us at that time. Before going round, she asks me to stretch out my arms and immediately I see a strong light emerge from her hands and going into the marks of the wounds and passing out onto the people. She had asked me to tell Fr Hayden to explain all of this to me. He told me that one could comprehend this sign in the following manner. Our Lady is the mediatrix of all grace. She wants to use me as an instrument in her hands so as to give the graces that she wants to impart from her Son Jesus to us. This same light, at times, also went through the rosary-beads of Fr Hayden. Our Lady explained to me: “Just as you observe the ray of light enter and pass through your hands, in the same way this light is passing through Fr Hayden’s rosary-beads and he is to pass it on to others.” (26th December, 2006)

After going around above the people she gives me a message. Sometimes these messages were of a private nature for some persons who would be there. Whenever the messages would be for the public, she asks me to pass them on to Fr Hayden. After this, the Lady often asked me to mingle with the people present so as to convey a message. At that moment my angel comes with me, as I am very shy. At time he tells me what to say while leading me and at other times it would have been the Lady who would have told me what to say.

Also at times, the angel takes me up to some persons for these to be witnesses to the fact that there is nothing in my mouth and there and then a thorn emerges. At such times I would be in very great pain.

There were times when, as a penance, the Lady asked me to smear my face with mud. This experience in front of people greatly humiliates me. I only do it because it is she who asks it of me.

The Lady leaves in a very bright light. This light leaves in the same way it came, that is, it recedes towards the East and the sky opens until she leaves.

The Lady deeply desires that people would go to say the rosary on Borg in-Nadur and offer it in a special way for conversions in families, for conversion in Malta and in the world and for souls in purgatory. The Lady asks us to pray all the rosary every day, i.e., the four rosaries daily."

A Vision of Hell

On 13 July 2008, at Borg in-Nadur Angelik received this particular message:

My dear children and my children - the ones of my heart. Tell the following to Fr Hayden for him to convey to the people. I urgently want you to pray for the five countries that I used to mention before. Pray much for them. Pray for the Church, for the Pope, for diocesan priests and religious priests and nuns. I urgently want conversion, because many are going to be lost in the fires of hell. Angelik, you are now going to see hell.

Just as the Lady said this, she opened her hands and her rosary-beads vanished. From her hands very powerful rays of light emerged penetrating into the gap between the cross and the bronze-age wall. All of a sudden, out of this light, raging fires came into view. Within these fires was a great crowd of huddled people, the flames reaching to their waist. They seemed to be blackened with soot. There were men and women, adults and youths. They were furious and enraged, damned and in despair. Out of the fire came smoke and a strong stench resembling that of burning car-tyres. Within this fire and among the people were many devils that had terrifyingly ugly animal forms. Some of the devils began to jeer at the people, while other devils hovered above them. Some, from among the people, tried to climb up onto the others so as to come out of the fire, but could not. The devils began to mock them and to stop them from this by pulling them down. Both the people and the devils were uttering foul blasphemies against God, Our Lady, the Eucharist and the Church.

Angelik could not stand to look at this infernal vision any longer and shut his eyes, but the Lady insisted that he continue to look. Angelik began to weep because of what he felt for these tormented souls and with tears in his eyes asked the Lady to give a powerful sign to the people, for them to believe in her apparitions and messages at Borg in-Nadur and thus to be converted. He also asked to endure sickness for the conversion of the world. He begged her to free us from the fire of hell. The Lady replied that she first wants conversion and subsequently would give a sign.

Angelik, if you are not careful, you too could go there!

I want a great conversion to come about! I urgently want conversion from the whole world! Angelik, tell the people what you saw.

I want fasting, penance and sacrifices for the urgent conversion of the world, and, in a special way, in the five countries.

You know full well what happens when countries turn against the Church.

Pray that natural disasters, plagues, sickness, famine and wars will not come about. Pray for peace in the world.

Only the prayer of the rosary, only the prayer of the rosary, only the prayer of the rosary halts these things. It is a common prayer, a simple prayer, the prayer of little children, a repetitious prayer - and yet it has a great stength and power.

Investigating the Apparitions at Borg in-Nadur

Fr Hayden has sought the advice of the president of the Diocesan Commision for Occult and Satanism of the Church in Malta, the exorcist Fr Elias Vella OFMConv. Up to now, Fr Elias excludes that there is fraud and deceit involved in these apparitions and finds nothing contrary to catholic faith and morals in the messages.

At the same time, Fr Hayden has also asked Dr Mark Xuereb, psychiatrist, to investigate the apparitions from a scientific perspective. Up to now, Dr Xuereb excludes fraud, deciet and mental illness.

The local Church Authorities are following what is happening at Borg in-Nadur but to date they have not given any decisive judgement on the apparitions.

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