“Sweet and Beautiful Mary,” by Michael Lonsdale

"Every day I pray to Our Lady, even several times a day. In the middle of my activities I address a few words to her, spontaneously. I know she's here, very close to me, I know she's listening to me, that she's going to answer me. So many people are suffering around me, so I bring them to Mary, to Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit, the three strongest presences in my life, who carry me and who help the people I entrust to them.

I like to say a Hail Mary in any situation. It is a short prayer that lifts us up. I can say it at home, in public transport, even on stage between lines. My relationship with Mary is very interior, very private. In the evening before falling asleep, I place myself under her protection, and I feel her kindness and her love."

Michael Lonsdale, French actor (b. 1931)

In Belle et douce Marie, la Vierge des peintres (“Sweet and Beautiful Mary: The Virgin of Painters”) by Michael Lonsdale, released December 2017, Éditions Philippe Rey, a 125-page illustrated book of paintings of Mary in color accompanied by beautiful texts.