By Thea Jarvis

In a March letter to his fellow U.S. bishops, Archbishop James P. Lyke, OFM, has asked that priest-led pilgrimages from their dioceses to the site of alleged Marian apparitions in Conyers be discontinued.

The letter, sent out by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in its regular weekly mailing March 13, stated that, in the archbishop’s judgment, “the authenticity of these alleged apparitions is in grave doubt.”

The letter was a response to reports of priest-led pilgrimages from outside the archdiocese and Eucharistic celebrations in a “Chapel” at the site. Separate correspondence was sent to bishops in Charleston, S.C., and archbishops in Miami and New Orleans, dioceses where many of the pilgrimages are thought to originate.

“Would you please convey to your priests (or others as you think appropriate) my wishes that pilgrimages to Conyers not be organized,” Archbishop Lyke wrote. “It is especially problematic when these are promoted from the pulpit.”

The archbishop said it was his explicit directive that no Eucharistic celebration take place at the alleged apparition site and asked the bishops to make this known to priests in their diocesan jurisdictions.

A letter had already been sent to priests of the archdiocese of Atlanta this past January advising them not to lead pilgrimages to Conyers or celebrate Eucharist there.

Archbishop Lyke also sent a letter to Nancy Fowler, the Conyers resident and St. Pius X parishioner who claims visions and interior messages from Jesus and Mary, in which he cited church law requiring ecclesiastical permission for the establishment of a chapel and for the celebration of Mass and other liturgical exercises. He reiterated his request that Mrs. Fowler and her helpers cooperate with civil authorities, adding that he supported Rockdale County in its enforcement of civil statutes.

In correspondence with Archbishop Lyke, Mrs. Fowler said that she would comply with his directives that Mass not be celebrated at the White Road property, the archbishop said.

At a March 13 press conference in the county courthouse, Rockdale County Commission Chairman Randolph Poynter outlined local problems that have surfaced as a result of the monthly influx of thousands of pilgrims.

Noise, traffic, escalating safety hazards as well as a general lack of privacy for neighbors “is not appropriate for that zoning” area, Poynter said. People who visit are well-meaning and the purpose of the gatherings is “wholesome,” he said, but “laws have to be followed regardless.”

An estimated 3,300 people were at the site of the alleged apparitions March 13. The 30 acres of property is located off Highway 138 on White Road in Conyers.

Problems have arisen, Poynter explained, because Mrs. Fowler and her associates do not claim status as a church. He said if the group is a church, they must come into compliance with county laws governing such facilities.

“It’s not my position…to make moral or religious judgments,” Poynter said. “As long as they’re in compliance with the law, I’m happy.”

The commissioner has made several trips to the site on White Road, including a visit on the day of the press conference, he said, and has seen and spoken with “a lot of nice people out there.” His purpose in enforcing code and zoning restrictions is to make the area “a safe place, a healthy place,” not to shut it down, he said.

During the new conference, questions arose about the commercial dimension of the site. Because books, videos, and pamphlets are available, Poynter observed, “it very easily could be” a commercial enterprise.

Sal Serio, a parishioner at St. Pius X Church in Conyers and a White Road property owner impacted by the volume of traffic and visitors to the alleged apparition site, said he is frankly embarrassed by the atmosphere generated by recent events.

“We’ve worked so hard in the Southeast to vanquish the opinion that we’re less than Christians, that we pray to icons,” said Serio, who attended the press conference as a representative of a local homeowners’ group. The “profiteering” he has observed “ruins everything we’ve been working toward.”

Serio objects to what he claims is the selling of religious articles at the site and the attention Conyers is receiving in a newsletter published by Mary’s Helpers, Inc. of Marrero, La. The newsletter advertises pilgrimages to Conyers, videotaped testimonials about the alleged apparitions, as well as holy water “from the well Jesus blessed in Conyers, Georgia.” Donations are solicited.

He also said that, despite the fact that the archdiocese of Atlanta “is not involved in anything,” the presence of priests there “gives credibility” where none is authorized.

Serio, who has practiced law in Rockdale County for 10 years and has resided there for the past year, said he is not a believer in the apparitions, “but I believe in the right of other people to believe.”

Late in the afternoon on the day of the press conference, people still walked the grounds of the site. Some prayed by a shrine in back of the property, where a ring of wooden crosses marked the Stations of the Cross. Others stood in line awaiting prayers for healing from Mrs. Fowler’s associates.

Nearby, a converted barn stood empty of people, a “no trespassing” sign from Rockdale County posted by the front door. From a window, a visitor could see folding chairs, religious art, a portable altar and an apparent altar area with a raised, carpeted platform and focus lights high on the ceiling.

The house where the apparitions reportedly take place is on the front of the property.

Inside the “apparition room,” where the Blessed Mother allegedly appears to Mrs. Fowler, people knelt and prayed with families and friends. Copies of letters from Archbishop Lyke, as well as reported messages from Mary, were posted outside the room.

A converted garage served as a distribution point for religious articles, literature and videos. Portable restrooms and a first aid station afforded convenience to visitors and compliance with county regulations.

Pilgrims made their way from the White Road property to the Fowler home on busy Highway 138, carrying milk jugs and cola bottles full of water from a well on the Fowler property.