January 27 – St. Mary of the Angels (Aix-en-Provence, France) – Coptic Marian Feast of the Dormition – St. Angela Merici God gave Mary a husband whom he designed for her For the consolation of the Blessed Virgin [...] character and virtue, they would both long for the fulfillment of the greatest of all mysteries. The marriage of Joseph and Mary was the work of Heaven itself. They were both chosen by God's wisdom, formed [...] purified the eyes of those who looked at her, and redirected all thoughts toward God. Bishop Esprit Fléchier (+ 1710) Bishop of Nîmes (southern France), one of the greatest preachers of the 17th century
The Council of Trent declares that Mary is free of all sin (1547) – Our Wounded Lady (Cambrai, France) Mary, the one who kept all these things in her heart here is a point about the Virgin Mary in a Gospel [...] against the Virgin Mary perfectly apply to her, and actually proclaim that she is blessed first of all for having listened to the Word of God and observed it? Did Mary not listen to the Word of God, did she [...] to know the story of the birth of Jesus in in the manger. We would obviously not have this Gospel passage about Bethlehem if Mary had not "kept these things in her heart". Hervé-Marie Catta Adapted from
December 31 – Saint Mary Hodigitria (Italy) – Saint Odilo of Cluny, fifth abbot of Cluny (d. 1049) Thank you, Mary who unties knots! Hello, my name is Nathalie, I live in France and would like to testify [...] I'll start when I have the strength", and I fell asleep. I always sleep with the scapular of the Virgin Mary around my neck or under my pillow or hanging from my hand. For me it's a way to cling to her [...] and two days later, while my colleague was two days ahead of me, I found a place to live before the novena was even over! Thank you Mother Mary for untying the knot! As a single mom making little money
November 28 – 1st Sunday of Advent – Saint Catherine Labouré (d. 1876) – 1st apparition of the Virgin Mary in Kibeho (Rwanda, November 28, 1981) How to Conceive and Bring Forth Christ Again Let us now [...] now see how to apply the title “Mother of God” to each one of us. Let us see how we can really become mothers of Christ. Jesus himself told us how we become his mother. It happens in two ways: by hearing [...] the Word and by practicing it. Let us just think again of how Mary became a mother: by conceiving Jesus and giving him birth. There are two types of unfulfilled maternities, two ways in which a maternity
November 14 – Our Lady of Pasenika or the Victory of Mary (Constantinople) Senegalese football manager Joseph Koto: "I pray the rosary before competitions" During the Cosafa Cup final (1) in which Senegal [...] Senegal lost to South Africa, Senegalese football manager Joseph Koto, coach of Senegal’s Lions, was accused of using witchcraft. The same accusation was made against him during the 2017 World Cup in South [...] believing and practicing Christian. With my rosary, before playing matches, I pray and I ask the Virgin Mary and Christ to protect me and the kids I coach. I pray during each competition and each time I am at
September 22 – St. Thomas of Villanova (d. 1555) – Saint Mary of the Royal Court (Italy, 1575) She Exceeds All Thought and Intelligence I wondered why the Evangelists, after having spoken about John the [...] length, skimmed over the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary, although she exceeds them ad infinitum by her excellence and her virtue. Why, I asked myself, have they told us nothing of her birth, her education [...] will find contained in these few words: Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. This is her story – it’s a very long and interesting story. Saint Thomas of Villanova (1488-1555)
15 July - Saint Bonaventure, Doctor of the Church (1274 ) - Feast of Mary Mediatrix (Maronite and Syriac liturgies) Victory over evil through the New Adam and the New Eve St. Bonaventure emphasized the [...] the traditional parallel between Eve and Mary, and explained how both Jesus and Mary repaired the sin of Adam and Eve: "As the fall happened through both sexes – the sin was initiated by the woman, and consumed [...] so from Christ and his Church the whole Christian people is formed. And as Eve is the mother of Abel and of us all, so the Christian people have the Virgin as their mother." ( De Donis Spiritus Sancti
January 23 – Marriage of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph - Saint Ildephonsus of Toledo No saint ever practiced silence as Mary did Tradition says that the three inhabitants of the Holy House at Nazareth [...] such relations as He and Mary were in to each other, silence would be more of a language than words. What could words do? What could they say? They could not carry the weight of the Mother's thoughts, much [...] Nazareth, Jesus, Mary and Joseph hardly ever spoke… A deeper silence than that of a Carthusian house where the Alpine winds moan in the corridors and shake the casements reigned there, and all else is
January 13 – Baptism of the Lord – The Council of Trent declared Mary to have been exempt from original sin through a special grace (1547) - Saint Hilary The powerful Children’s Rosary for Peace Filipino [...] families. ACN Philippines national director Jonathan Luciano said, one of the highlights of the campaign is the “concrete expression of support by Filipino children to other children in countries where Christians [...] from different parts of the country are set to take part in the worldwide campaign to pray the Rosary for peace and unity on October 18th. According to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP)
January 16 – The Immaculate Heart of Mary, Refuge of Sinners (Paris, France) Start with the Holy Rosary I had been a priest for 4 years and I had never prayed a Rosary. I did not like it or understand [...] understanding Mary. I did not have a “special relationship” with her. In a moment of spiritual aridity, a brother priest gave me some homilies by a priest from Medjugorje on the messages of the Gospa (the [...] (the Virgin Mary) to read. As soon as I began reading, I felt great inner peace and strong confidence. I knew that these messages really conveyed Mary’s words. I felt Mary’s real presence and I decided never
