BY ERIKA ANDERSON

Staff Writer

CONYERS--They came in tens of thousands by bus, van or car, led by faith Oct. 13 to hear a Rockdale County woman who claims to receive messages from the Blessed Mother.

The 100,000 pilgrims who packed the 90-acre farm began arriving as early as Oct. 9, eager to secure a spot to hear Nancy Fowler give what she said would be the last message she would receive from Mary.

Fowler, a housewife and mother of two sons, said she began receiving monthly Marian apparitions at her home on Oct. 13, 1990, a date which coincides with the appearance of Our Lady of Fatima in 1917. In 1991 land next to Fowler’s home was purchased by supporters and the farm became the new site of the increasingly large monthly events. The Catholic Church, however, has not blessed her reported visions.

“The Conyers situation amounts to a claim of a private revelation by an individual and the church sees it as nothing more than that,” said Msgr. Peter Dora, vicar general of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. “In all such claims, the burden of proof lies with the person making the claim and the church must maintain a posture of skepticism.”

The skepticism of the church did not keep the faithful away. Pilgrims carrying lawn chairs and coolers, many of them pushing strollers or struggling to maneuver loved ones in wheelchairs, made the trek up the gravel and dirt path to what is known as Holy Hill to fill gallon jugs with water from a well that Fowler claims was blessed by Jesus.

They came from every corner of the world, many of them speaking Spanish. Pilgrims of all ages and walks of life, from as far away as California and New York, Haiti and Mexico came together on a warm Georgia day, eager to experience what they believe is a miracle.

Lilly Johnson, a pilgrim from Lake City, Fla., said she came to Conyers to see the “beautiful gathering of people.”

“Where else can you get thousands and thousands of people together for one purpose, not for any selfish reason, but to pray for peace and the conversion of all people?” she asked. “I think it’s the most beautiful thing in the world.”

Jane Hand of Newnan has been to the farm over 15 times.

“I believe it will be approved some day. I trust the church’s judgment,” she said. “For now, though, it’s drawn me back to the Eucharist and monthly confession and I know a lot of other people that it’s done that for. I have seen miraculous occurrences, but it’s more the people that I’ve seen changed that makes me keep coming. Besides, how could you miss an opportunity to pray a rosary with 100,000 people?”

Waiting patiently for Fowler to relay the reported message, the pilgrims began praying a 15-decade rosary at noon, saying the prayers alternately in English and Spanish and waving white cloths into the air while singing the Ave Maria between decades.

Colleen Parr and Alexis Steed, 17-year-old high school seniors from Augusta, said coming to Conyers was more important than a day of school.

“I’ve been coming for a while now and it really brings people together,” Parr said. “It makes me feel good about everything and it has improved my faith a lot, not necessarily because of things I’ve seen but because of the feeling I get.”

Steed, who came for the first time, said it was a good escape from the evils of modern life.

“It makes me feel safe from things going on in the world today,” she said. “It’s good to come to something like this to get away from all that and to get religion back in your life.”

Claiming that Mary told her to encourage the pilgrims to make religion the center of their lives, Fowler emerged from the gray one-story farmhouse at 1:45 p.m. after praying in the apparition room. As she spoke, 100,000 people became completely silent and still, with only the soft cry of a baby heard in the crowd.

“Children, please live your life in full union with God,” a soft-spoken Fowler said the Blessed Mother told her. “It is most pleasing to God when you imitate him and honor me.”

Fowler also said Mary did not want anyone to worry about the future.

“You are worried about the future but you do not attend to your daily duties,” she said. “My son’s heart is rich in mercy and love for you. The future holds no concern to those who truly seek God, love him and remain in his favor.”

The crowd cheered loudly when Fowler said that Mary had appeared flanked by numerous souls from purgatory who would ascend to heaven with her.

After encouraging the youth to choose a saint to model their lives after, Fowler told the crowd that she would no longer be receiving the apparitions.

“Today Our Lady has come for the last time in this way,” she said. “We will not be permitted to see Our Lady again in this way until we are in heaven. She reassured me continuously that she remains with me and you can be reassured that she remains with each of you.”

After Fowler read the message, she disappeared back into the farmhouse, while many of the pilgrims compared Polaroid pictures of the sun and reflected on the message.

Marilyn Quiros, who traveled 16 hours from Philadelphia, said she was surprised by the message.

“I was expecting a scary message, like more of a warning,” she said.

Mary Ferret, a resident of Queens, N.Y., said she enjoyed hearing what Mary had to say.

“I thought it was a great message. It was just beautiful,” she said. “Coming here really builds your faith up.”

The event drew people of other denominations. Kitty Lawson, a Methodist from Washington, Ind., has made seven trips to Conyers.

“If Jesus can send his mother all the way from heaven, I can certainly come this far,” she said.

She said her experiences in Conyers have made her and her husband consider becoming Catholic.

“It has totally converted our whole life,” she said. “The Blessed Mother has really led our lives to her and her Son. We have a hunger now and are reading as much as we can about the Catholic Church.”

Sue Merchant, a pilgrim from Charlotte, N.C., said the farm is a “holy place.”

“The soul can know. It’s just that simple,” she said. “Your soul tells you when God is present and when you’re in the presence of something holy.”

Merchant, who has traveled to Conyers many times, said a gathering of that many people is powerful.

“Whenever you’re in the presence of thousands of people who are invoking the Holy Spirit, asking for the intercession of the Blessed Mother and praising the name of Jesus, the power is overwhelming,” she said. “The graces that flow are amazing. Lives are changed and souls are healed.”

Local churches were also impacted by the influx of pilgrims.

Father John Kieran, pastor of St. Pius X Church, Conyers, said the parish offered three evening Masses Oct. 12 instead of one and added an extra morning Mass Oct. 13 to accommodate visiting pilgrims. The largest turnout at any Mass was five busloads, the pastor said.

Many of the visitors were from Texas and he estimated about half overall were Hispanic. One of the Masses was celebrated in Spanish by a Colombian priest traveling with pilgrims from New York, Father Kieran said. The parish also rented portable rest rooms to handle the crowds.

Father Thomas Francis, OCSO, of the Monastery of the Holy Spirit in Conyers, said the monastery added five extra Masses Oct. 12 through 14. They also added evening healing Masses in Spanish Oct. 12 and 13 which drew over 1,000 people. Police were on hand to control the crowd at the Abbey Bookstore, letting in about 200 people at a time.

“People had to form a line, not that they were rioting, but just so we didn’t have thousands of people in the store at one time,” he said.

The bookstore, he said, sold thousands and thousands of religious goods, selling out over 10,000 St. Benedict crosses.

“We are certainly thankful for the business because it helps us a lot, but I think there is a sigh of relief from the monks that this will be the last major event,” Father Thomas Francis said. “We do think that Holy Hill will continue to be a place of pilgrimage, but not in the large numbers that we have had.”

A Ukrainian Rite Catholic Church, which has opened on property near the farm, became a place of worship for many of the pilgrims. The church, Msgr. Dora said, has no affiliation with the Archdiocese of Atlanta. The Ukrainian Rite has its own ritual and hierarchy, but is in communion with Rome.

“The priest and parish are not accountable to the local bishop, but to their own Ukrainian Rite bishop,” Msgr. Dora said. “They are part of the church completely and fully...Regardless of the rite, a Catholic can attend Mass and receive Holy Communion there.”

In response to Fowler’s claim that the Blessed Mother desired a church in her honor to be built on the farmland, Msgr. Dora said that the archdiocese has no plans to do so.

Police said the crowd was the largest since people first began coming in 1990.

Mike Kinlein, a corporal with the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Department who described himself as a “good Catholic,” said that they will miss the pilgrims.

“We love these folks,” he said. “You could never control a crowd like this with this few number of deputies--I think we had 60--unless they were good Catholic Christian folks.”

Kinlein said in the beginning it was tougher because they were unsure of what to expect, but that the people have been good to the deputies. He has been directing traffic and helping to control the crowd since the reported apparitions began.

“I’ve never seen Mary, but whenever you have this many folks coming out to pray, it’s definitely a good thing,” he said.