Mary appeared thrice in Wisconsin, bishop says

In 1859, a Wisconsin farm woman recounted three mystical meetings
with the Virgin Mary, who told her to pray for the conversion of sinners
and teach children the Catholic faith.

More than 150 years
later—December 8, to be exact—the Catholic bishop of Green Bay
sanctioned Adele Brise's visions as both supernatural and "worthy of
belief." It was the first officially approved Marian apparition (the
Catholic Church's term for paranormal appearances by Mary) in the United
States.

Of the many questions kindled by Bishop David Ricken's
announcement, two seemed particularly apt: How does the church
investigate mystical visions? And why does it take so long to approve
them?