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Apparition Board Game

Apparition Board Game

$39.95 Regular Price
$34.95Sale Price
Apparition is a Catholic family board game about ten Vatican-approved apparitions of the Virgin Mary — including Our Lady of Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima, Knock, and the Miraculous Medal — together with Marian themes, ancient titles, and the saints whose lives were shaped by encounters with Mary.
 
Ages:  8 and up    ·    Players:  2 to 6    ·    Playing time:  25–30 minutes    ·    Designer:  Paul Carmedelle
 
Easy to learn and beautifully illustrated with famous paintings of Mary spanning the last 1,200 years. Every card includes a QR code that opens a short reading about the apparition, title, or saint pictured — turning each game into 30 minutes of catechesis disguised as play. Used in Catholic religious education from grades 3 through 12, with 18 free downloadable lesson plans. 
 
A natural gift for First Communion, Confirmation, Marian feast days, or any Catholic household that prays the Rosary.
 
Open to everyone. You do not need to be Catholic — or know anything about the Blessed Virgin Mary — to play and enjoy this game.
 
  • World's First Marian Board Game — Apparition is the only board game exclusively focused on the Blessed Virgin Mary, bringing her apparitions, virtues, and messages to life through gameplay that is fun, reverent, and spiritually meaningful for the whole family.
 
  • 24+ Marian Apparitions Including Fatima, Lourdes and Guadalupe — Explore Vatican-recognized and bishop-approved apparitions through 168 beautifully illustrated game cards, each featuring a QR code linking to free online content about Mary's stories, messages, and the Rosary.
 
  • Simple Rules, Fast Paced — Easy to learn for ages 8 to 108 with optional simplified rules for young children. Match sets of cards to earn Heavenly Graces in a game that typically plays in 25-30 minutes.
 
  • The Perfect Catholic Gift — Ideal for First Holy Communion, Confirmation, Christmas, and birthdays. Works beautifully for game nights, Catholic schools, homeschools, Sunday school, youth groups, and Vacation Bible School.
 
  • Educational and Classroom Ready — Used in Catholic schools and homeschools for grades 3-12, supported by 17 free lesson plans. QR codes on every card turn the game into a continuing journey of Marian discovery long after play ends.
 
  • Soul-Stirring and Spiritually Enriching — Players regularly describe feeling their souls touched as they deepen their understanding of Mary's role in the journey "To Jesus Through Mary" — making this far more than an ordinary game night.
 
  • A Museum-Quality Visual Experience — Features 1,200 years of Marian art including masterworks by Leonardo da Vinci, El Greco, Francisco de Goya, Jusepe de Ribera, and Miguel Cabrera — making every card a small work of art.
 
HOW DO YOU PLAY? 
In simplest terms, you match groups of cards to claim the Heavenly Graces token for that apparition, Marian theme or saints. Watch the short video at the bottom of this page to learn how to play. Also, see the game instructions in the photos above.
 
IS APPARITION A GOOD FIRST COMMUNION GIFT? 
Yes — Apparition is one of the most-requested First Communion gifts we ship. The game introduces a child to Mary in a hands-on way at the moment they are first receiving Jesus in the Eucharist, supporting the truth named on the board itself: To Jesus Through Mary. Three game rules can be omitted in any combination to make play accessible to younger children. 
 
IS THE GAME APPROPRIATE FOR NON-CATHOLICS OR MIXED-FAITH FAMILIES? 
Absolutely. Apparition is a card-matching game with beautiful art and the opportunity to learn more about the world’s most depicted woman. It does not require players to know prayers, recite anything, or hold particular beliefs. Many Protestant and non-religious players enjoy it as a strategy game and learn the history along the way. The QR codes on every card are not part of the game, but are offered for those who are curious about a card’s topic. 
 
HOW IS APPARITION DIFFERENT FROM THE DISPERSION GAME? 
Apparition is a Marian game for ages 8 and up that plays in 20–30 minutes with up to 4 players — designed for children to play with their friends, family game nights, classrooms, and parish events. Dispersion is a more advanced strategy game for ages 14 and up about the missionary journeys of the 12 Apostles, with deeper strategy and complexity. Many households own both: Apparition for the children, Dispersion for older teens and adults. 
 
CAN APPARITION BE USED IN CATHOLIC SCHOOLS OR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION? 
Yes — it is actively used in Catholic schools and parish religious-education programs from grades 3 through 12. We provide 17 free downloadable lesson plans on our Learn page. And the QR-coded cards turn the deck itself into a research tool. 
 
WHICH MARIAN APPARITIONS DOES THE GAME INCLUDE?
Apparition features ten Marian apparitions formally approved by the Vatican: Our Lady of Banneux, Beauraing, Fatima, Guadalupe, Knock, La Salette, Laus, Lourdes, the Miraculous Medal, and Pontmain. Bishop-approved apparitions also included are Our Lady of Akita (Japan), La Vang (Vietnam), Gietrzwald (Poland), Pompeii (Italy), Zion (Italy), Vailankanni (India), Valvanera (Spain), Aparecida (Brazil), Mt Carmel (Israel), Kazan (Russia), Good Success (Ecuador), Sorrows (Italy), the Rosary (Argentina), and the Pillar (Spain) — Mary's first recorded apparition, in 40 AD. 
 
IS IT SUITABLE AS A CONFIRMATION GIFT FOR A TEENAGER?
Yes. Apparition provides teenagers a meaningful connection to Mary at the moment of receiving the Holy Spirit, and as a game they can bring to youth groups, take to college and play with friends and family. Teens engage especially with the QR-coded readings about the saints, such as Therese of Lisieux, Maximilian Kolbe, Padre Pio, and Francis of Assisi, whose witness shaped Catholic devotion.  
Quantity

  • Game Setup & Rules

     Apparition Game Rules

    Object of Game

    Obtain the highest number of Graces from the Virgin Mary.

    Game Components

    1 Game board

    100 Apparition cards

    -- Each of the 10 apparition sets includes 4 “Title” cards, which name the apparition and have a brighter image than description cards, and 6 “Description” cards that share information about the apparition, such as Mary’s appearance, messages, dates and names of seers

    50 Rosary Theme cards

    -- Each of the 5 themes contains 10 cards

    -- Themes are: Ancient Names, Epithets, Invocations, Places, and Virtues

    18 Saints cards

    -- Each of these saints had a significant encounter with Mary in their lifetimes

    10 Apparition markers

    20 Rosary theme markers

    1 Saints marker

     

    Learning Component

    -- QR codes on every game card

    -- Use your phone’s camera of these QR codes to bring you information about that particular Apparition, Rosary theme or Saint

     

    Game Setup

    1) On the game board, place the marker for each Apparition on its corresponding location on the Rosary. Then, place 4 markers for each of the 5 Rosary themes and one marker at the Saints location.

    2) Deal 7 cards to each player.

    3) Reveal and display 7 cards from the deck.

    4) Place the remaining cards face down as the draw pile.

    Game Play

    On your turn, you do the following in order:

    1) From the revealed pile, take all of the Apparition OR Rosary Theme OR Saints cards.

    • Take every card of that grouping, not leaving any behind.
    • If you don’t want any of the Revealed cards, take the next 3 cards from the Draw pile.

    2) Claim:

    -- An Apparition: requires the title card and 3 of the apparition description cards OR requires all 3 title cards for that apparition.

    • Claim the marker for that apparition from the board and set aside with the cards.
    • The player who claims the apparition earns 1 Grace for each additional card above those required to claim the apparition.
    • When an Apparition is claimed, all players should set aside affected Apparition cards.
    • Going forward, when new cards are drawn in the Revealed pile for already claimed Apparitions, these cards only score as a Grace for the player who claimed that particular Apparition.

    -- A Rosary Theme: requires 3 cards from one of the 5 themes.

    • Claim 1 of the markers from the board for the Decade being claimed.
    • When you claim a second set of the same theme, take an additional token for that theme, giving you 3!

    -- Saints: collect these cards and immediately set aside.

    • At the end of the game, the player with the most “Saints” cards claims the marker from the board.
    • No marker is awarded for ties.

     

    3) At the end of your turn, replenish the revealed cards so that 7 cards are showing.

    End of Game

    It concludes when the Draw deck is spent and all players complete their turn in the round.

    At end of game, no Graces are awarded for unclaimed apparitions and unmatched Rosary theme cards.

    Graces Point System

    Apparitions: 7 Graces (10 available)

    Rosary Themes: 4 Graces (20 available)

    Saints: 15 Graces (1 available)

    Apparitions cards not included in the original claim: 1 Grace

    Winner

    Player with the most Graces, wins!

    • Tiebreaker goes to the youngest player because Mary often chose to reveal herself to them.

  • Gift Guides

    See our full First Communion gift guide for traditional gifts to pair it with.

  • Classroom Game Ideas

    See our Classroom Game Ideas for creative ways to bring Catholic and Christian-themed activities to students.

  • Game Components

    1 Game board

    • The board holds the scoring tokens. 

    100 Apparition cards (ringed in gold)

    • Each of the 10 apparition sets includes 4 “Title” cards, which name the apparition, and 6 “Description” cards that share information about the apparition, such as Mary’s appearance, messages, dates and names of seers

    50 Rosary Theme cards (ringed in silver)

    • Each of the 5 themes contains 10 cards
    • Themes are: Ancient Names (for Mary), Marian Epithets, Marian Invocations, Places (where Mary has appeared), and Marian Virtues

    18 Saints cards (ringed in red)

    • Each of these saints had a significant encounter with Mary in their lifetimes

    31 Heavenly Grace Tokens

    Tokens display a symbol for that card category on one side and its name and Graces value on the other side.

    • 10 Apparition
    • 20 Rosary Themes
    • 1 Saints

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