Our Lady of the Willow Tree Blanket

This apparition is unlike many other apparitions. In fact, Mary didn't even appear at first, though many knew she was behind the strange events at the willow tree.

Mary didn't appear to children, and her message, it seems, was more for an individual than a group of people.

Nevertheless, this apparition received approval from Pope Pius IX in 1856 when it was given a papal crowning. 

In Vinay, France in 1649, a man named Pierre Port-Combet prided himself on working on Sundays, but especially on Mary's feast days. He had been baptized a Catholic, but abandoned the faith for Calvinism. 

However, on the feast of the Annunciation something remarkable happened. Pierre was set on showing his disdain for Catholics, so he set to work on the road that all would travel by on their way to attend Mass. 

Pierre got to work and pretended to be trimming a willow tree. He stabbed the trunk of the tree but drew back in horror as blood poured forth. He was certain that he had somehow stabbed himself, but couldn't find a wound. His wife was on her way to Mass when she passed him, covered in blood. She ran to examine him but couldn't find a wound. 

In order to calm him down, his wife stabbed the willow tree but nothing happened. In shock, Pierre took the knife and stabbed the tree a second time with the same result: more blood. 

A neighbor passing by couldn't believe what Pierre was telling him, so he tried his hand repeatedly at the tree too - but it did not bleed for the neighbor, Louis Caillet. 

The townsfolk agreed that the bleeding was a warning for Pierre who had fallen away from his faith and that he should take heed. For many years people prayed near the tree.

It wasn't until seven years later that Mary appeared to Pierre in a different field and inquired about the tree, and what happened to the person who stabbed the willow tree. Pierre tried to act as if he wasn't the man who stabbed the tree, but Mary knew better. She told him that he needed to realize his end was at hand.

At last Pierre returned to the Catholic faith and died only a few weeks later.

This blanket features a beautiful green background with willow branches cascading down it. If you look closely, you can see small drops of blood pouring forth from the branches. In between the branches are the words that Our Lady said to Pierre when she first appeared to him: "God be with you my friend!"

Whether you have a love of willow trees, an appreciation for little-known Marian apparitions, or you just love the Catholic Church, let this blanket remind you that our end, too, is near, and we need to stay close to the Church all of our days.

Props are not included with the purchase of this blanket. You can read more about this apparition in the book See How She Loves Us, available from TAN Books. 

Blanket Details

This soft silk touch is perfect for snuggling up on the couch in the cool fall and winter evenings! It is available in two sizes: 50''x60'' and 60''x80''.

• 100% polyester
• Soft silk touch fabric
• Printing on one side
• White reverse side
• Machine-washable

Disclaimer/Attribution

All artwork designs and styles on this website are the original work of Amanda/worthy of Agape. Additionally, public, commercial, or any other use of these designs that goes beyond personal use is not allowed without expressed, written consent of worthy of Agape.