FACTS ABOUT OUR LADY
Mary’s life and role in the history of salvation is foretold in the Old Testament and the events of her life are recorded in the New Testament. The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 speaks of the “Virgin-Mother of Emmanuel”: “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and His name shall be called Emmanuel.”
Mary’s parents were an elderly couple, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne although they are not mentioned in the Bible
Mary’s date of birth is unknown but it is celebrated every 8th of September. She was a poor girl in an insignificant town, from a humble family, with little expectations that her life going to be any different than most.
Mary loved God and wanted to serve Him with all her heart. When the angel Gabriel came to Mary to tell her she was chosen and favoured by God to be the mother of His son, despite her own fear, she exhibited great courage and character: “I am the Lord’s servant…May your word to me be fulfilled” (Luke 1:38).
Mary gave birth to Jesus and raised Him with St. Joseph. Mary is the Mother of Jesus, and because of this, she is also the Mother of the Catholic Church and Mother of all the faithful.
Mary exhibited great courage and character during Jesus’ earthly life and ministry. She pressed Jesus to provide wine when it ran low at the wedding in Cana, she searched for Jesus when He was left behind at the temple, she went from Nazareth to Capernaum when she learned what was being reported there about Jesus, and she was there at the cross when Jesus was crucified. Mary was a person of discipleship and faith, and the first true follower of Jesus
The Church recognizes six “formal” titles for Mary, which corresponds to Church teaching and dogmas concerning her: Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Our Lady, Queen of Heaven, Immaculate Conception and Assumption
The Immaculate Conception is the belief that the Virgin Mary was free of original sin from the moment of her conception.
Tradition holds that St. Dominic (d. 1221) devised the rosary as we know it. Moved by a vision of our Blessed Mother, he preached the use of the rosary in his missionary work among the Albigensians, who had denied the mystery of Christ.
Marian apparitions are known as appearances of the Blessed Virgin Mary, coming down from heaven to earth. These appearances are often paired with some type of message Our Lady wants to communicate, and depending on the nature of her visit, can be anywhere from one short appearance to several over the course of years. Over the course of Church history, there have been many reports of Marian apparitions including:
- Our Lady of Lourdes: A 14-year-old shepherd girl named Bernadette Soubirous reported seeing Mary appear to her while she was out gathering firewood in the countryside. Mary identified herself as “the Immaculate Conception” and told Bernadette of the location of a spring, promising miraculous healings from its waters.
- Our Lady of Knock: On the evening of August 21, 1879 in the village of Knock, Ireland, fifteen people of various ages saw an altar with a cross above it. Upon that altar was the Paschal Lamb, and next to the altar were St. Joseph, St. John the Apostle, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. None of the figures spoke a word, and the eyewitnesses stayed on the spot praying the Rosary for the two hours that the apparitions remained. One of the other miraculous events that took place concerned the weather. During these two hours, there was rainfall. However, the ground around the apparition site remained dry throughout.
- Our Lady of Fatima: Perhaps the most well-known and well documented Marian apparition of all comes from a tiny town in Portugal. Between May 12 and October 13 of 1917, Our Lady of Fatima appeared to three small children. The numerous messages that Our Lady has given to the three shepherd children has changed the lives of countless people. Our Lady’s call was to pray, particularly to pray the Rosary. The Feast of Our Lady of Fatima is celebrated on May 13.
