History of Conyers
This introduction will tell the story of the faith of and blessings received by the Conyers pilgrims.
The Conyers apparitions are part of God’s Master Plan for the salvation of souls. The Conyers apparitions can be summed up in two words, Love and Mercy. They increased our faith and our desire to evangelize. They showed us the importance being part of God’s Master Plan of saving souls through traditional Catholic spirituality, teachings and devotion. Jesus has told us that He has great plans for Conyers.
The primary fruits of the apparitions are countless healings, conversions back to God, the strengthening of faith, an increasing trust in God and the return of many fallen away Catholics back to the Church.
During an October 1987 pilgrimage to a well-known, current-day apparition site
in Medjugorje, Yugoslavia, Nancy Fowler said God told her there on Mt. Krizevak that she was a prophet. Nancy was then living in Illinois.
After moving to Georgia and through a series of visions, Nancy was later led to a house in Conyers on the outskirts of Atlanta in the summer of 1990. Following Jesus’ explicit directions, she built an altar of stones with a wooden cross on the small hill behind her house. Jesus told her that this hill is holy because He said it was holy. Many conversions and healings happened on the Holy Hill.
On October 13, 1990, the Blessed Virgin Mary expanded her missionary efforts by appearing in Conyers. Her monthly apparitions were again an act of evangelization - to bring more souls to her Son - as part of God’s effort to evangelize within and along side of the Church. In her messages, the Blessed Mother repeatedly called her spiritual children to be witnesses for her Son - to evangelize.
Beside Nancy’s home was a well. Nancy has said that Jesus blessed the water from this well. Many pilgrims have drawn the well water and there have been many reports of healings associated with the well water
In May of 1991, the Blessed Mother asked that a picture be taken of the statue of the Madonna and Child that was on the corner shelf in Nancy’s home where the Blessed Mother would appear. She said that the title under the picture should be Our Loving Mother and that a Holy Card should be made with the Angel of Peace prayer from Fatima on the backside. This was the first time She identified Herself as Our Loving Mother. She said that it is the Will of God that She be honored as Our Loving Mother and those who honor Her image will receive special graces and many healings will occur. She said it is the Will of God that this image goes all over the world.
In April of 1991, a message was received by Nancy that the Hughes were coming. Nancy had no idea who they were. On April 13, 1991, Bob and Bernie Hughes came for the monthly apparition for the first time and met Nancy. They were surprised about hearing the message with their names in it and had no idea what it meant.
In June 1991, the Hughes helped publish and pay for the publication of 10,000 copies of the first book with some of the Conyers messages from Jesus and our Loving Mother.
They were encouraged by messages though Nancy to please help publish the book as Her children need the words of Her Son.
In 1991, as word of the apparitions spread, the number of pilgrims coming to Nancy’s
home on the 13th to pray increased into the hundreds.
Nancy said that Our Loving Mother asked that acreage around her home be purchased because it would be important for the Church to own. There was a 30 acre farm just up the road that a bank was preparing to foreclosed on. Nancy had seen Our Loving Mother appear over this ground and knew this was that acreage. There were many subsequent messages from both Jesus and Our Loving Mother asking that a church and shrine be built at this farm which was to become the apparition site. Nancy was told the name of the church was to be Our Loving Mother and it is the Will of God that this be done.
During the summer of 1991, the local County threatened to stop the pilgrims from gathering at Nancy’s home on the 13th of each month due to zoning violations and the safety of pilgrims who were parking and walking on the busy highway in front of her home. In July 1991, a pilgrim couple, Bob and Bernice Hughes, purchased the 30-acre “Farm” as an act of faith in the Conyers messages. In mid-August they made the Farm available for Nancy and the pilgrims to assemble and pray. After the August 13, 1991 apparition at Nancy’s home, a procession was planned for August 15th, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. On the 15th, a group of pilgrims carried Our Loving Mother’s statue from Nancy’s home up White Road to the Farm. Our Loving Mother was moved to Her new home in Conyers where She remains today. On September 13, 1991 the first apparition occurred at the Farm. The crowd grew from around 100 on the 13th of August to thousands on September 13, 1991.
In September 1991, the Catholic Archbishop of Atlanta, James P. Lyke, issued his first public statement on the Conyers apparitions. His statement reflected a neutral, wait-and-see policy by the Church.
In the fall of 1991, Bob and Bernie Hughes organized and founded the non-profit organization, Our Loving Mother’s Children, Inc. (OLMC). Jesus had said to Bob Hughes through Nancy that he will be His Businessman and Accountant.
Our Loving Mother continued to appear regularly on the 13th until May of 1994. An estimated 80,000 to 100,000 pilgrims gathered at the site on May 13, 1994, in what turned out to be the last monthly apparition of Our Loving Mother at Conyers. In her message that day, she said that the time had come for the pilgrims to start living the messages given at Conyers and walk in faith. She said that the graces would continue to flow and be given abundantly to the pilgrims who come in faith to the apparition site.
In June 1994, the new Archbishop of Atlanta, John F. Donoghue, reaffirmed Archbishop Lykes’ 1991 neutral policy on the Conyers Apparitions.
On October 13, 1994, knowing that Our Loving Mother was to appear again, the second largest crowd to date braved several days of rain and very muddy conditions at the site to join Our Loving Mother in praying the Rosary. Our Loving Mother continued to appear yearly on October 13th.
On October 11, 1998, a couple of days before the final apparition, the Mother of God Eastern Catholic Church was established adjacent to the Holy Hill. Jesus had said before that when the apparitions end, it will be time for the Masses to begin.
On October 12, 1998 the evening vigil was held on the Holy Hill which had become a tradition. Jesus had said a number of times to fill the Holy Hill and watch what I will do. This night a candlelight vigil was held with prayer, praising God and singing. It was beautiful and not only was the Holy Hill filled but pilgrims crowded into the grounds of the next two adjoining houses. The pilgrims agreed they were all on the Holy Hill regardless of were they stood that night. God’s boundaries are different then man’s. Those two other adjoining houses have now been donated to and are part of the Mother of God Catholic Church. Later that evening and most of the following day many pilgrims wondered what Jesus would do since the Holy Hill was finally filled to overflowing.
Before the noontime apparition as the visionary was in an adjacent room in the farm house praying, Jesus appeared and told her to tell the youth to choose a saint that would be special to them and model their life after this saint and ask for intercessory help from this saint. He went on to say the youth lack direction and need the help of Heaven. Jesus asked us to go out to His lost and sick children and be His hands and feet and proclaim from your heart the living word, the good news.
At noon on October 13, 1998, Our Loving Mother appeared for the last time to Nancy and gave her the final message at Conyers. An estimated 100,000 pilgrims were present. In Her message Our Loving Mother said Her requests remain the same as the ones She made in Portugal in 1917. She wants us to imitate Jesus and said it is pleasing to God when we honor Her. She wanted us to pray for the Holy Souls in purgatory and they in turn will pray for us. She wants us to be ready for Heaven and not store up treasures of the world. She asked us again to pray, pray, pray. She wants us to pray the Rosary for peace and strength against the evils of this age and to make consecrations to the Sacred Heart of Her Son and to Her Immaculate Heart. She said that on this day God presents to the world the title Our Loving Mother. (Note: for the first time ever, this apparition and rosary were televised live, via satellite, around the world). She went on to say that if we honor Her under this title, many graces will fall from Heaven upon us. Her parting words were for us to be Holy Witnesses and walk by faith.
Our Loving Mother also gave Nancy two special messages. One for Her priests and the other for Her religious daughters. She said they were receiving special graces so as to be renewed and be able to fulfill the Will of God.
At the end of the apparitions it was learned that Nancy had seen countless souls appearing behind Our Loving Mother, one after another, all dressed in gray. Our Loving Mother said many souls were going to be released from purgatory because of the presentation of Her title to the world by God.
Several days later, Jesus appeared to Nancy and asked her if she wanted to know what the great grace was that happened on the 13th . He told her that all the souls in purgatory of relatives of the people who were praying the rosary in union with Our Loving Mother on the 13th , all over the world, went to Heaven with Her on that day.
Now it is know what Jesus meant when He said to fill the Holy Hill and watch what I will do. Most pilgrims believed or thought it would be a miracle of some sort that could be seen to help in their own conversion. What a Great God! He freed the souls in purgatory of relatives of those pilgrims who were praying the Rosary with Our Loving Mother all over the world that day. Now they are in Heaven praying for us!
Many improvements have been added since the apparitions ended. The monthly Rosary continues at noon each 13th as many pilgrims come back to thank Jesus and Our Loving Mother for the blessing and graces they have received at Conyers. Our Loving Mother’s Sunday Prayer Group still meets in the apparition room every Sunday to pray the Rosary at 3:00 p.m. The Farm and grounds are open daily from 9:00 a.m. to dusk.
On October 1, 2000, the Eastern Catholic Feast Day of the Protection of the Mother of God, marked the establishment of the Eastern Catholic Spirituality Center at the Conyers apparition site by Bishop Robert Moskal of the Diocese of St. Josaphat, an Eastern Catholic Church diocese responsible for the southeastern United States. OLMC will continue to operate and maintain the Center for the near future and it is available for Retreats and Pilgrimages.
The rear room of the farm house where the visionary would pray before the noon time apparition of Our Loving Mother has been dedicated as the "Divine Mercy Room. Jesus appeared almost every time to the visionary on the 13th in this room. It is the same room where Jesus came alive surrounded in light on the crucifix as He spoke to the visionary. The Scientists, who were testing the visionary during the apparition of Our Loving Mother on the 13th of June, 1993, where in the back room also. They placed their probes on the hands of Jesus on the crucifix while He was appearing and recorded a pulse. Astounded, they move the probe to the chest of Jesus on the crucifix and recorded a heart beat. All at once, Jesus said to the visionary, that’s all. At that instance, everything ended and no further signs of life were recorded from the crucifix.
Rosary Hill has been established in the field behind the Spirituality Center and the Stations of the Cross has been set up along the path from the farm to the Mother of God Catholic Church. Two new Shrines to honor Our Loving Mother under her many titles has also been established. They are the Shrine of our Lady of Pochaiz and the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe. There are many other Points of Interest to see.
On September 2, 2005 a donation of $1,500,000.00 was received that confirmed that it is the Will of God that a church is to be built at the farm and the name of the church will be Our Loving Mother. A Building Fund has been established and all donations are tax deductible. Bishop Robert Moskal has given his approval to build this Church to honor Our Loving Mother and the faith of all the pilgrims that have come here to the farm to pray. Bishop Moskal desires that this be a Place of Pilgrimage.
In November 2006, completed plans for Our Loving Mother Catholic Church
are being reviewed and will be finalized in the near future. The estimated cost is approximately 20 million dollars. The church will be astounding with its magnificent beauty. Although some have said this is a lot of money, a message from Jesus comes to mind. When another property was in the process of being purchased in the early 90’s and the seller had it well overpriced by $150,000, the visionary was all upset telling Jesus not to let it be purchased because it was too much. Jesus replied saying, how much is too much for me? It seems He would be saying the same words concerning the building of this magnificent church, how much is too much to honor My Mother?
Pilgrims continue to visit Conyers to experience Our Loving Mother’s presence in a place where She appeared 49 times from 1990-1998. Our Loving Mother told us that Conyers is Her home and that graces would continue to flow from Her home to those who come in faith and visit the site. Our Loving Mother also said that those who support Conyers will be blessed abundantly.