History - Rosa Mystica House of Prayer : Rosa Mystica House of Prayer

The Rosa Mystica devotion unites two streams of heavenly grace.

From Pierina Gilli, a humble nurse from Montichiari, Italy, we receive the public message of Our Lady of Rosa Mystica. Between 1947 and 1966, the Blessed Virgin appeared to Pierina, first with three swords piercing her heart—symbolizing the loss of vocations, religious living in sin, and clergy betraying their calling—and then with three beautiful roses, representing the call to prayer, sacrifice, and penance. On December 8, 1947, Our Lady gave the world the Hour of Grace, asking that every year on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the faithful gather at noon to pray for divine mercy. In 1966, she blessed a spring at Fontanelle, promising healing to all who come in faith. On July 5, 2024, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the explicit approval of Pope Francis, officially recognized these messages, declaring they contain nothing contrary to Catholic faith and morals. The site in Fontanelle has been proclaimed a Diocesan Sanctuary of Rosa Mystica-Mother of the Church.

From Mother Elena Leonardi, we receive the sacred commission to build Houses of Prayer where this message can be lived out. Born in Avezzano, Italy in 1910, Mother Elena was a spiritual daughter of St. Padre Pio, who guided her for nearly fifty years and continued to appear to her after his death. In 1933, under his direction, she was consecrated as a Victim Soul for the salvation of all priests and all sinners. Her extraordinary spiritual life included reported visions, bilocation, and the stigmata—all offered for the Church.

According to her testimony, in 1975 Our Lady came to Mother Elena and asked her to establish a House of Prayer under the title Rosa Mystica. She reported being given specific geographic coordinates by the Blessed Virgin Mary—coordinates that led not to Italy, but to a remote hillside in Edmeston, New York, known as Angel Hill

Mother Elena traveled to the property and spent forty days in fasting and prayer in a small cabin—now known as Mother Leonardi’s Chapel—seeking only to know the will of Heaven. A group of pilgrims joined her in procession around the property, carrying a statue of Our Lady Rosa Mystica. It is told that the white statue, which now stands outside the main chapel, began to levitate next to Mother Elena as she walked. According to those present, it moved through the air until, at a certain spot, it stopped and would not move further. This was taken as the sign: Our Lady herself had chosen the exact location for her House of Prayer.

In 1975, Franciscan monks from Canada began construction of a chapel on that spot. The work would stretch over ten years, finally being completed and dedicated on August 15, 1985. But after many trials and difficulties, the chapel was left incomplete in crucial ways and eventually lay abandoned.

In 2001, a member of the M.A.N. Foundation discovered the abandoned chapel. Founded over twenty-six years ago by Noreen Von Zwehl, the M.A.N. Foundation was named for the teachings of three great saints: St. Thérèse Martin (the Little Flower), St. Teresa of Avila, and Therese Neumann (the German stigmatist). What began as a small, local mission grew exponentially into worldwide assistance to the spiritually impoverished, building over forty-five churches, schools, and clinics on nearly every continent.

When the foundation learned of the chapel in Edmeston, Noreen was initially reluctant—her heart was in the foreign missions. But after a series of events, including a priest who had agreed to take on the chapel suffering a heart attack, Noreen sat down and felt in an instant that the Blessed Mother wanted them to take on this work.

The foundation purchased the property. However, the magnificent 8.5-foot statue of Our Lady Rosa Mystica—carved in Germany—had been removed by the priest selling the chapel. Anyone who had ever laid eyes on the statue knew the chapel would never be complete without her.

The first act of the foundation was to raise $18,000 to bring the statue home.

When the statue was returned and unwrapped, to the awe and admiration of all present, witnesses recounted that tears appeared to stream down her cheeks. No one touched those tears, and to this day, a stain remains visible on her cheeks. Since that moment, pilgrims have reported that the statue appears alive—seen to cry, smile, look sad, open her arms, and on several occasions, come alive in private revelations.

The Mission Transitions

After years of global service, the board of directors unanimously decided to center all efforts at home. The M.A.N. Foundation’s worldwide missions concluded, and the Rosa Mystica Foundation of America was formed to provide exclusive stewardship for the shrine. All resources, prayers, and efforts are now dedicated solely to this sacred ground.

With inspiration from Our Blessed Mother, the foundation also provides financial assistance to men entering the seminary, lightening their burden so they may concentrate more fully on their theological studies. It is our hope that priests, in addition to the laity, will utilize the chapel and village as an opportunity for personal prayer and retreats—a chance to refocus and rejuvenate their spirituality.

A Land of Reported Blessings

Over the years, many miracles have been attributed to Our Lady’s intercession at this shrine. Pilgrims have shared testimonies of physical, emotional, and spiritual healing through the use of sacramentals such as the oil and holy water from Rosa Mystica and the Rosa Mystica healing lake.

In 2019, Fr. Ignatius Mary shared that he received a vision of Our Lady coming down to the lake on the property, touching the water, and blessing it, with words that many blessings and healings would come through that holy water. Fr. Ignatius spent a full year in prayer and discernment before acting on the vision. When he finally came, he blessed the lake and sprinkled the entire property with its water. In 2020, a woman from Long Island reported a miracle: her friend with terminal lung cancer experienced healing after being blessed with Rosa Mystica oil and water from the lake.

Another source of reportedly blessed water is located at the foot of the large crucifix on the opposite side of the church. This towering crucifix was brought across the ocean from Vietnam. On September 14th—the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross—workers were building the base to install the cross when it is said that water suddenly sprang up from the ground, appearing out of nowhere. Some people took that water home, blessed themselves, and shared stories of miracles that followed. Today, the spring has been blessed, and a statue of an angel marks the spot as a fountain.

St. Padre Pio’s Car

In 1997, a man named Anthony Fuina from Long Island was diagnosed with cancer. While driving, he reported picking up a hitchhiker—a bearded man in a white baker’s uniform—who placed his hand on Anthony, prayed over him, and then vanished. Anthony later recognized the man as Padre Pio, who had died in 1968. He testified that his cancer was completely healed. On June 16, 2002, Anthony and his wife stood in St. Peter’s Square as Pope John Paul II declared Padre Pio a saint. Their reported miracle was among the testimonies surrounding his canonization. In gratitude, Anthony donated the car to the Rosa Mystica Shrine. It now rests in St. Padre Pio’s Grotto, where pilgrims come to pray for his intercession.

The shrine has since grown into a spiritual haven, with retreats, conferences, and accommodations to house over eighty people. Pilgrims come from across the United States and Canada to walk the first Patriotic Rosary Walk in the nation, to pray before the weeping statue, to drink from the waters where blessings have been reported, and to seek the intercession of St. Padre Pio.

Two streams. One river.

Pierina Gilli proclaimed the message. Mother Elena Leonardi received the commission to build. St. Padre Pio guided and protected the work. And here, in Edmeston, New York—on land believed to have been chosen by coordinates from the Blessed Virgin, marked by a levitating statue according to those present, blessed by a weeping Mother as witnesses attest, and flowing with waters associated with reported healings—the words and the work become one.

It is with great pleasure that we invite you to join us in this mission.

Come and see. Come and pray. Come and experience the grace of this place.

Our Lady of Rosa Mystica, pray for us.