The pastor of Assumption Grotto, Fr. Eduard Perrone - who is a very Marian priest, does not permit the sale of anything which promotes apparitions, locutions, or other phenomena not fully approved by the Church in the parish giftshop. He also does not permit distribution of materials in the Church vestibule which promote these things. However, there is an abundance of goods to buy and free material to be found in vestibules and sidetables, all of which includes many Marian books, devotions and other materials - all fully approved by the Church. His prudence in this regard is sound because Holy Mother Church provides us with a library big enough to sustain us in this life, and if we lived to be 200 we could not get through it all. There is no question about this material as it is approved and timeless. This is where our time should be spent when we have a few minutes to read or study.
There are many claims of apparitions and locutions, some smacking of new age-ism and syncretism. Why spend time on the next big phenomena which has not been approved when we have an arsenal to be explored? What if that big phenomena is eventually unambiguously rejected by the Church? Some spend considerable time chasing every alleged apparition, locution, and miraculous thing that hiccups in the wind. Why not devote time to those things which are timeless and proven? They are truly gifts from God to us all, and treasures of mankind. But, I'm afraid that other things - things which have not been fully approved by Holy Mother Church - pull our time and attention away.
For this reason, I will not provide links to websites which promote apparitions, locutions and other phenomena not yet approved by the Church. This includes links found in the comment sections. As they are found, the entire comment will be deleted since I cannot edit them.
The same holes true of traditionalist websites not in communion with Rome. There are many very fine websites out there which contain devotions and practices not found elsewhere on the web. I reluctantly included something in my post on the St. Louis de Montfort preparation which has a questionable link embedded. However, I requested assistance if someone can direct me to the same material on a website which is not questionable, whether it is schismatic (clearly not in communion with Rome) in some way, or promotes unapproved apparitions.
Someone notified me that a convent I was covering in one of my vocation posts was actually a schismatic group of nuns. I promptly removed it from the post. Many of these things are not readily discernible and if anyone ever sees anything that goes against this post, with certainty, kindly email me and bring it to my attention so I can correct it.
All of this having been said, one comment was just deleted. It is not because the article conveys a view of the situation different from my own interpretation of what is within the power of the Bishop of Mostar. Rather it is because it provided a link to a website which is a huge promoter of Medjugorje - an apparition which has not been approved by the Church. I regret not being able to use this website as it has a lot of wonderful information and links, but I have to go with my conscience.
