Did the Blessed Virgin Mary Appear at Fr. Mark Beard’s Retreat Center in Chatawa, Mississippi?

On the evening of the Feast of the Assumption, August 15, 2026, several photographs taken at Our Lady of Hope Retreat Center in Chatawa, Mississippi, appeared to show an image resembling the Blessed Virgin Mary behind an illuminated statue of Our Lady.

The photographs were reportedly taken during a retreat hosted by Kittie Cleveland at the retreat center, which was founded by the late Father Mark Beard. According to the original report, the images were captured hours apart, between approximately 9:00pm and 11:00pm, following a Eucharistic healing service:

What makes the reported phenomenon especially meaningful is Father Mark Beard’s deep connection to Our Lady. His pilgrimage to Medjugorje in 2000 helped spark his calling to the priesthood. The retreat center he later built includes a replica of the very statue of Our Lady that inspired him during that pilgrimage.

For that reason, the reports of unusual photographs appearing at Our Lady of Hope Retreat Center on the Feast of the Assumption feel especially significant and worth prayerfully examining.

Photographs Taken at Our Lady of Hope Retreat Center

The original report was published by Scott L. Smith Jr., The Blessed Virgin Mary Just Appeared at Father Mark Beard’s Retreat Center: Photos of Mary at Our Lady of Hope in Chatawa, Mississippi. Smith introduced the photographs by writing:

“This just in! This just happened yesterday … 

I received these pictures from a retreat hosted by Kittie Cleveland at Our Lady of Hope in Chatawa, Mississippi. This occurred the evening of the Feast of the Assumption. 

These images below were taken hours apart, from approximately 9pm to 11pm, following a Eucharistic healing service hosted by Fr. Michael Voithofer of Ablaze Ministries.”

Could the Images Have a Natural Explanation?

According to the report, the images were captured by different people from different angles, and those who took the photographs did not notice the unusual image until reviewing them afterward.

Kittie Cleveland herself urged prudence regarding the photographs. While describing the weekend as being filled with “a super abundance of graces,” she cautioned against concluding that the Blessed Virgin Mary had literally appeared in the photographs. She acknowledged that there may be a natural explanation for the images that has not yet been identified.

A beautiful or unexplained photograph does not, by itself, establish a supernatural apparition. The Church has always exercised discernment when extraordinary phenomena are reported. Catholics are free to be moved by such events, but we should avoid presenting an unverified phenomenon as an established miracle or apparition.

Father Mark Beard’s Marian Connection

At the same time, exercising prudence does not require dismissing the experience altogether.

Our Lady of Hope Retreat Center has a particularly fitting connection to Marian devotion. The retreat center was built by Father Mark Beard, a priest remembered by many Catholics for his preaching and devotion to the Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin Mary. What I find even more beautiful is the photographs were taken on the Feast of the Assumption, a solemnity celebrating Mary’s entrance, body and soul, into heavenly glory.

Whether the photographs ultimately prove to have a completely natural explanation or remain unexplained, the proper response is one of prayer and discernment rather than sensationalism.

The images can certainly be viewed with interest. They may even serve as a reminder of the spiritual realities that Catholics profess. The communion of saints, the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the reality of Christ’s presence among His people.

But ultimately, our faith does not rest upon photographs. Our faith rests upon Jesus Christ.

Original source: Scott L. Smith Jr., The Blessed Virgin Mary Just Appeared at Father Mark Beard’s Retreat Center: Photos of Mary at Our Lady of Hope in Chatawa, Mississippi.

Disclaimer: The photographs and reported phenomenon should be regarded as unverified and subject to further discernment. No claim of a supernatural apparition is being made here.