The Seer of Bayside: Veronica Lueken and the Struggle to Define Catholicism
Joseph P. Laycock
Abstract
In 1968, Veronica Lueken, a Catholic housewife in Bayside, Queens, New York, began to experience visions of the Virgin Mary. Over almost three decades, she imparted over 300 messages from Mary, Jesus, and other heavenly personages. These revelations condemned the liturgical changes of Vatican II and the wickedness of American society. Unless everyone repented, Lueken warned, a “fiery ball” would collide with the Earth, causing death and destruction around the world. When Church authorities tried to dismiss and discredit her, Lueken declared Pope Paul VI a communist imposter. Her messages reach ... More
In 1968, Veronica Lueken, a Catholic housewife in Bayside, Queens, New York, began to experience visions of the Virgin Mary. Over almost three decades, she imparted over 300 messages from Mary, Jesus, and other heavenly personages. These revelations condemned the liturgical changes of Vatican II and the wickedness of American society. Unless everyone repented, Lueken warned, a “fiery ball” would collide with the Earth, causing death and destruction around the world. When Church authorities tried to dismiss and discredit her, Lueken declared Pope Paul VI a communist imposter. Her messages reached traditionalist Catholics throughout the world. Since her death in 1995, her followers, known as “the Baysiders,” have continued to gather to promote her messages in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens. This work shows how the Baysiders have deviated significantly from mainstream Catholic culture while keeping in dialogue with Church authorities, and reveals how the persistence of the Baysiders and other Marian groups has contributed to greater amenability from Church authorities toward devotional culture and private revelation. The Seer of Bayside is an invaluable study of the perpetual struggle between lay Catholics and Church authorities over who holds the power to define Catholic culture.
Keywords:
Catholicism,
new religious movements,
Vatican II,
Marian apparitions
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2014 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199379668 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: November 2014 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199379668.001.0001 |
