text: If anybody would like to read a gentle, lighthearted short story related to this topic, I'd recommend "Farewell" by J.F. Powers. If you're not familiar with him, Powers was a wonderful writer whose subject matter was usually the joys and foibles of being Catholic in the mid-20th century. He's best known for his novels "Morte d'Urban" and "Wheat That Springeth Green," but some of his lesser known short stories are gems too.
  "Farewell" centers on a retired bishop from a small midwestern diocese who goes to investigate a lady claiming to have Marian apparitions, which include a message she can share only with a bishop. I won't give away the ending, but it is both funny and a little sweet.