Gianna Talone-Sullivan was born the youngest of three children in Phoenix, Arizona. According to her biography, her early childhood was filled with love and rejection, material comfort and subsequent need, all centered around a career in show business.¹

After taking a trip to Medjugorje in the late 1980s, Gianna began hearing voices from the Blessed Mother. Apparitions and messages from Mary continued to follow her after she returned home. Gianna then began to experience Marian apparitions almost every day. Eventually, she joined others from the Scottsdale area who were also experiencing heavenly locutions after their trip to Medjugorje.²

During this time, Michael Sullivan MD was conducting a lecture in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was invited to witness a private apparition of Mary with Gianna. During the apparition, the spiritual entity that was delivering the messages pointed out Michael to Gianna, and invited her to enter into marriage covenant with him. After reflecting on this recommendation, Gianna and Michael were married in 1993.

A few months before they were married, Gianna went to meet Michael's family. During this trip, the couple visited some of Michael's favorite sites, among them was the National Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Emmitsburg. It was during this visit that the Blessed Mother appeared to Gianna, and invited her along with her future husband, to move to Emmitsburg, Maryland.³

After Gianna and Michael accepted this recommendation, they moved to Emmitsburg on November 1, 1993. Two days after moving to Emmitsburg, Gianna and Michael attended their first "Marian prayer group" in the chapel at Saint Joseph Church. During the Rosary, "Our Lady of Emmitsburg" allegedly appeared to Gianna, and has continued to do so every since.

As word spread about the Blessed Mother's appearances, hundreds of people flocked to the meetings. Three months after the first apparition occurred, the chapel could no longer hold all the participants. From that time forward, Gianna began to experience weekly apparitions. After each apparition, a message for the world was given through Gianna, from Our Lady of Emmitsburg, and then distributed among the faithful.⁴

The messages from Our Lady of Emmitsburg closely reflect those of other condemned apparition sites. For example, Jesus is usually portrayed as a hostile warlord whose only intention is it to inflict terrible chastisements upon the entire human race. Mary is always glorified as the Savior of the world, the one who is holding back the hand of her Son's angry wrath. The threats of end-time disasters ring with a tone of urgency, leaving followers only one way to protect themselves—pray more Rosaries and consecrate themselves into this entity's protection and power.

On September 8, 2000, Archdiocesan officials met in Baltimore with Gianna to inform her that the Church found it impossible to permit the continuation of prayer services centered around apparitions she alleges to experience with the Blessed Virgin Mary. According to Church officials, "This action by the Archdiocese comes after a review of several months by Archdiocesan officials and theologians. Although the Archdiocese does not intend to detail a point-by-point theological analysis of the content of any of the messages Mrs. Sullivan claims to have received, it finds elements in them that cannot be reconciled with the teaching of the Church, including material that deals with predictions for the future and visions of an apocalyptic nature.

"Additional information presented in a video by and about Mrs. Sullivan entitled "Unbridled Mercy" played a significant role in this review and its result. For those who may be disappointed by this action, the archdiocese encourages continued prayer. The Archdiocese calls on the faithful to strengthen their resolve to follow Jesus through reception of the sacraments, personal prayer, study of our Catholic faith, and participation in the life of their parishes."⁵

On June 7, 2003, the Archbishop of Baltimore issued the following decree of constat de non supernaturalitate. Since that time Gianna's published works and prayer meetings have been banned from Church property:⁶

For more information please visit Our Lady of Emmitsburg - Gianna Talone-Sullivan.