March 3 - Our Lady of Help (Italy) - 14th apparition in Lourdes (1858) Mary: a very distinct holiness underlined by Vatican II It is no wonder therefore that the usage prevailed among the Fathers whereby [...] replies: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38). Thus Mary, a daughter of Adam, consenting to the divine Word, became the mother of Jesus, the one and only Mediator

Pope of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception (d. 1878) "From now on, I don't want to live without Mary!" We had planned to go on pilgrimage to Medjugorje (1) (Bosnia Herzegovina) as a family in 2004, but [...] But I decided to go along. Strangely, the time passed very quickly! I might as well tell you that Mary takes us by the hand as soon as we get there! The days went by, and I must admit that not everything [...] DVD! But even if we sometimes get (figuratively) hit in the face over there, we quickly realize that Mary is using all this to help us move forward on a path of healing. And you never feel alone, first of

February 13 - Death of Sister Lucia of Fatima (2005) "Mary’s Heart is a safe refuge" On December 20, 2001, the Holy See press room published an account of the conversation between Archbishop Bertone, then [...] whom the Lord has entrusted to her. Her Heart is a safe refuge. Devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is the means of salvation in difficult times for the Church and for the world.” Cardinal Ratzinger's [...] open to God, purified by the contemplation of God, is stronger than guns and weapons of any kind. Mary's fiat, the word of her Heart, changed the course of world history, because she brought the Savior

(Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Byzantine rite) Statue of Mary found intact after church fire in Ivory Coast The statue of the Virgin Mary placed near the altar of the Catholic chapel in the village [...] the fire, we found that all the altar cloths were destroyed. To the right of the altar, the Virgin Mary was still intact, while everything around her was burned!" The parish priest, Father Mah Kélassah

- 2nd apparition at Banneux (Belgium, 1933) - Week for Christian Unity (January 18-25) The Virgin Mary waited with perseverance Jesus encourages us to remain faithful to him until the end. Let us wait [...] and witnesses of true expectation. I choose two of them: St. John, the forerunner, and the Virgin Mary, because they are the two pillars of the portal that Jesus passed through to enter human history. [...] in order to prepare for the future: they were waiting for nothing less than God (...) The Virgin Mary was waiting for God. She knew that the angel had said to her: "The Holy One whom you bear will be

devotion to Mary Pope Saint John Paul II (...) was known for his consistent and steadfast devotion to Mary throughout his life and papacy. He entrusted his entire ministry and safety to Mary with his motto: [...] consecration with laying the foundations of his own love for Mary, especially with the revelation that to love Jesus was to love Mary, and that Mary’s heart would always take one closer to Jesus. That realization [...] Marian entrustment are most noticeable in St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, a book that a young Karol Wjotiyla carried everywhere with him (even to work in a sodium factory)

(France) - Our Lady of the Lamp (Rome, Italy) What Mary gave to the world A German Catholic priest reported that he once saw an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary exposed in a prominent place in Field Marshal [...] life." Can one dream of a more beautiful definition of what Mary has brought to the world? To a world given over entirely to the pride of life, Mary teaches the humility of Bethlehem. To a world dominated

December 25 - The Nativity of Jesus Mary talks about Jesus’ birth (II) In the following excerpt from Luisa Picarreta's book (1), the Virgin Mary recalls the moment of Jesus’ birth: Then I wrapped Him in [...] Mother - of giving Jesus to all. Luisa Picarreta, Italian mystic (1865-1947) From her book The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will (1) This book was written in 1932 by Luisa Piccarreta, the little

December 24 - Vigil of the Nativity of the Lord Mary talks about Jesus’ birth (I) In the following excerpt from Luisa Picarreta's book (1), the Virgin Mary recalls the moment of Jesus’ birth: “You must know [...] my Son gave to Me in return?” Luisa Picarreta, Italian mystic (1865-1947) From her book The Virgin Mary in the Kingdom of the Divine Will This book was written in 1932 by Luisa Piccarreta, the little daughter

prophets did, but Mary's faith was so pure. Mary's heart was so pure, even though she was greatly disturbed, she said yes. No excuses at all. And that's what reveals what our Mother Mary is truly like. She [...] the family of Mary, we pray frequently the Hail Mary, and sometimes we say it so frequently we are not aware of all the words that we use. But there's a particular phrase in the Hail Mary which I often [...] December 11 - Our Lady of Consolation (Italy) “In Mary totally full of grace, there is room for nothing but the love of God” When [Mary] was told, she is the mother of God, she didn't immediately began