displays the name Stella Maris, Star of the Sea. This is one of Mary's more ancient titles. Walsingham, just a few miles from the Norfolk coast, is a sanctuary of prayer and healing, a metaphor of salvation [...] "England's Nazareth" is a holy place held in high regard by the Christians of the country. As popular legend has it, the shrine originated with a noble widow, Lady Richeldis, in 1061. A fifteen century manuscript [...] Walsingham ballad, which explains how the noble woman wished to honor Our Lady. Mary responded by asking her to build a chapel. Mary led Richeldis "in spirit" to Nazareth to show her the place where the Archangel
life with God is accompanied by a mysterious joy, a particular wisdom, which we see in the saints and martyrs, and which is like God’s very signature. Lying on her bed of suffering and holding a crucifix [...] author of a remarkable book written just after Bernadette’s canonization in 1933, quotes for its deep significance: "I am happier than a queen on her throne." Father André Doze Excerpt from a talk given [...] were the Virgin Mary’s first words to Bernadette in Lourdes, after being noticeably silent during her first two apparitions? According to author Henri Lasserre, who met Bernadette, in a book published in
over thirty years old, I was still without children! One day, a lady with whom I was doing a training course told me about the Virgin Mary of the Rue du Bac in Paris: I immediately interrupted her, explaining [...] in the year 2000, on a Tuesday. When I arrived at the chapel on rue du Bac at noon, the doors did not open until 2:00 p.m., so I went back to take the subway to go home. But then a voice resounded in my [...] some shopping while waiting for the opening. It was my very first time in a Catholic chapel and I was impressed by the statue of Mary. As I walked up to it, I read, "Come closer to receive the graces." I got
(1928-1959) was a Vietnamese Redemptorist religious. Wishing to become a priest at a very young age, he attended a parish priest's school, where he suffered from hunger and mistreatment. He died in a communist [...] mysteries of the Rosary. This prayer became for him a source of strength that sustained him in his life filled with suffering and trials. Memoirs of Sister Anne-Marie From the Bulletin of the Friends of Van, October [...] rosary, young Marcel Van (1), who always knelt next to his mother, seemed a little unhappy. Suddenly, he raised his voice and said in a plaintive tone: "Mom, change your prayer, it's boring! You always repeat
were filled with a common desire to end their dispute amicably and to return home without going to Grenoble! Since Mary does not do things by halves, she arranged for them to providentially meet a certain [...] families! Indeed, the Virgin Mary, venerated in her shrine of Bargemon, "doesn’t care any less about material goods than about those of the mind and the body," wrote Brother Raphael, a Discalced Augustinian priest [...] men decide to peacefully reconcile In 1637, two prominent men of Marseilles, France, were locked in a long lawsuit. They decided to take their dispute to the court of Grenoble, where they would defend their
entrusted France to the Virgin Mary in 1638, making her Queen of that country. In order to give a concrete expression to this commitment, the pilgrimage of the Virgin Mary was launched by Notre Dame de [...] Paris, Cardinal Verdier, had expressed the wish that the statue of Our Lady be erected on a hill near Paris. As a matter fact the small town of Baillet-en-France—at the crossroads of many important communication [...] fulfilled exactly 50 years after he had expressed it (1938-1988: the duration of a jubilee). The statue’s installation coincided with the Marian year proclaimed by Saint John Paul II, and the celebration of the
was attacked by terrorists Sept. 11, 2001, now stands as a “Beacon of Christ’s Peace” ― a place described by New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan as “a gathering place of quiet reflection for those who cherish [...] experience persecution because of their love for him. St Paul’s letters are replete with such warnings, as well. “This is a conflict that has been going on for centuries and will not end until the final victory [...] Church” icon, which depicts the Virgin Mary and the Child Jesus as Iraqis dressed in traditional wedding attire. Cardinal Dolan called the icon “timely and relevant” in a formal letter of blessing and cong
at Knock in Co. Mayo, Ireland, Mary McLoughlin, 45, and Mary Byrne, 29, saw "luminous figures" on the gable wall of the parish church. Surprised, the two women took a closer look—it was an apparition [...] the Blessed Virgin appeared life-size in the attitude of prayer, with her eyes turned up towards heaven, a crown on her head and wearing a large white cloak fastened to the neck. Next to her were Saint Joseph [...] which issued a positive report the following year. In 1936, Bishop Gilmartin, Archbishop of Tuam, opened a Medical Findings Office to scientifically study the alleged cures, and he created a new commission
to my help O Mary, come to my help also! Before you I stand, a sinner! O Mother of Mercy, stay close to me on the day of my last agony!" Even more moving is the unique custom of carrying a wooden cross [...] the place. The Nazis refused, but a brave pilgrim rushed to turn on the lights, paying with his life this courageous act while saving the shrine from destruction. Marie de Nazareth
to children with his ideas. One day he came across a young Irish girl of about eight years of age on the roadside. He stopped her, spoke a few nice words to her and then asked her to recite a few prayers [...] child began the “Hail Mary,” but the pastor interrupted her. “That one is not a prayer, because you mustn’t pray to a woman, you should only pray to the Good Lord.” The small girl was a little embarrassed [...] Again! The following account was told by Father Sineux, during a spiritual retreat given on July 29, 1964: A Protestant pastor from Scotland had a large number of Irish families in his parish and, consequently
