Category Archives: Our Lady
Our Lady
De Maria numquam satis (Concerning Mary never enough). Welcome to the golden pages of Catholicism.org. In the spirit of Saint Bernard’s maxim, this website abounds with over fifty articles in praise of Our Lady, with additional links to the greatest books written about her. Readers will find devotional, theological, apologetical, and liturgical works all contributing to exalt the Mother of God and magnify her name, whose soul so immeasurably magnifies the Lord.
Although the articles appear randomly, one can peruse the titles and find those that fit the need for the moment. Perhaps, the need is to educate a Protestant, or lax Catholic, who has questioned why the Catholic faithful give so much prominence to Mary. Perhaps it is to refute an aggressive heretic who had challenged you on one or more of Our Lady’s unique and singular privileges.
Since the vast majority of our readers need no convincing of Mary’s greatness, which is so condign with her vocation as God’s Mother, many of these articles aim to foster an increase of devotion to and confidence in her. Anything on the site pertaining to the works of Saint Louis Marie de Montfort will be especially helpful in this regard.
Knowledge, as a gift of the Holy Ghost (one of the seven), begets love. That is why Saint Bernard never tired of reading, speaking, and writing about Mary. Is there a doctor of the Church who did not write about Mary? No. Many, in fact, especially during and after the Middle Ages, wrote entire treatises and books about her. Many wrote hymns in honor of her. But these are only those declared “doctors.” Hundreds of other saints, and holy men and women, have filled volumes in praise of her. Liturgies have been composed around her both in the East and the West. The third ecumenical council (Ephesus in 431) was summoned to defend her Divine Maternity, calling her by her traditional title of Theotokos (Mother of God). And, indirectly, the fourth ecumenical council (451), was held to defend her very Maternity, for the issue being contested by the heretics at that time was whether Jesus had a true human nature. Read about the one you love and you will keep her in your heart, and she more ardently will keep you in hers.
Mother’s Day: Mary Returns to W. Springfield Massachusetts
Massachusetts Repulican: On Sunday, Mother’s Day, the Madonna of the South Boulevard traffic island will appear again. Full report here.
The Five Fatima Prayers
Here at Saint Benedict Center there is a pious devotion to the five prayers the angel and Our Lady gave to the Fatima children. Our third order members know them by heart. If you do not know these prayers, you can find them here. Add them to your daily Rosary.
Pope Will Have Lisbon Patriarch Consecrate His Papacy to Our Lady of Fatima
The Moynihan Letters: Scroll down to # 5
June 8, National Consecration of Philippines to the Immaculate Heart
Here is the text of the bishop’s announcement.
More on Our Lady Un-Doer of Knots
Not only did Pope Francis give Cardinal Chaput an image of this Marian devotion, but he also had the image engraved on a chalice that he gave to Benedict XVI. Here’s more from Taylor Marshall: Our new Pope Francis has a very special devotion to Our Lady Untier of Knots. Many have never heard of this devotion, but it’s a great one…going all the way back … More →
Pope Gave Archbishop Chaput Portrait of ‘Mary Un-Doer of Knots’
Catholic Culture; Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia sees the election of Pope Francis as “a great gift, a huge benefit for the Church, and also a candid recognition of the new Catholic reality worldwide. I think it will have a wonderful energizing effect on Latino Catholics in the United States who already contribute so much to American Catholic life in great numbers.” More here.
New Documentary Film on Our Lady of Guadalupe
CNS: Before making his documentary on Our Lady of Guadalupe, “The Blood & the Rose,” director and co-writer Tim Watkins said, “I knew very little about Our Lady of Guadalupe.” Now, with his film out and available on DVD, he wants the world to know about her. “I reinvigorated my faith about three years before I started making the film,” Watkins said before a Jan. 24 … More →
Posted in Miracles and Apparitions, News, Our Lady Leave a comment
Prayer to Our Mother of Good Success
Prayer to Our Mother of Good Success Soul of Mary, sanctify me, Body of Mary, purify me, Heart of Mary, inflame me, Sorrow of Mary, comfort me, Tears of Mary, console me, O Sweet Mary, hear me. With thy benign eyes, look on me, Through thy holy steps, guide me, To thy Divine Son, pray for me, Pardon for my sins, achieve for me, Devotion … More →
Our Lady of La Vang: The Catholic Side of Vietnam
The recent article about Vietnam by Dr. Robert Hickson, “Giving a Free Hand to the Assassins,” piqued my curiosity about the history and influence of Catholicism in Vietnam. His article clearly pits the Catholic Diem against the radical Buddhist monks who were eager to rid the country of the influence of this Catholic family. In my research into this history, I came upon an apparition … More →
ND Coach Gerry Faust (1981-1985) Speaks About Devotion to Mary
National Catholic Register: I have also learned that adversity doesn’t have to get the upper hand on you. As long as you have faith, family and friends, you can get through anything. Faith is the most important thing, then family, then friends — or even just one friend. You don’t have to be the most popular; you just have to have one friend, someone to … More →
Our Lady of the “O”
Tomorrow, December 18, is a feast of long standing in the Latin Church. Though its Mass and office will not be offered liturgically in most places (owing to its not being a universal feast), the “Expectation of the Blessed Virgin Mary” has origins going back at least to seventh-century Spain. The Catholic Encyclopedia has a small entry on the feast. It tells us of the … More →
‘Who Painted It?’
We posted this as a news item back in 2009. But, being that yesterday was the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I decided to post it again, anew. As with her Son, and because of Him, Mary is a ‘sign of contradiction.’ How many millions of unbelievers, heretics, and pretended Christians have known of, seen pictures of, and ignored the miraculous image of … More →
Posted in Catholic America, Columns, History, Our Lady Leave a comment
![Pere Marquette and the Indians [at the Mississippi River], oil painting (1869) by Wilhelm Lamprecht (1838–1906), at Marquette University](http://catholicism.org/files/2012/12/597px-Pere_Marquette-140x140.jpg)
Pére Marquette’s Prayer to the Immaculate Conception
Pére Jacques Marquette, S.J., is best remembered as the French explorer, who, along with Louis Joliet, discovered the Mississippi River in 1673. The fact that he was first a Jesuit missionary priest, whose work as an explorer was sublimated and directed to that noble vocation, is often overlooked. In preparation for tomorrow’s Feast of the Immaculate Conception, I present here a lovely prayer Father Marquette … More →
EU Flag Has Marian Origin
I just read an interesting article on Inside the Vatican website about the symbolism of the European flag. I had thought that it was just a coincidence that the flag is blue with a circle of twelve white stars. It is not. Let me state from the start, for those who do not know that our website is thoroughly committed to restoring Catholic culture, that … More →
Posted in Columns, Our Lady Leave a comment
Flash Floods Cause Evacuations at Lourdes
Catholic Culture: Flash flooding at Lourdes temporarily closed the famed Marian shrine and caused “serious damage” there, according to an Agence France-Presse report. 450 pilgrims were evacuated from area hotels. “There have been floods in the past but this one has caused the most damage in the last 30 years,” said Thierry Castillo, an official at the shrine. “We have serious damages which will run … More →
