not, until now, part of the calendar of public holidays. Christmas Day (December 25th) and the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (January 1st) were already holidays, to allow Catholics to participate in [...] at least 80.58% belong to the Catholic Church according to the 2016 statistics, and the popular devotion to the Virgin Mary, as evidenced by "the festivities organized by every city in honor of the Blessed [...] a special holiday throughout the country, to commemorate the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, the patron saint of the Philippines." In the Philippines, the feast of the Immaculate Conception

scared. We shouldn’t say empty prayers. We should really mean what we say. So I turned to Mary. Prayers to Mary are emergency reserve prayers: there is not one Marian prayer in the whole liturgy, not one [...] really say. In the mechanism of salvation, the Hail Mary is the last resort. With it, one cannot be lost. " Charles Péguy French poet, essayist, and editor Excerpt from a letter to his friend Lotte, during [...] Lady saved me from despair, which was the gravest danger. People like us always have as much faith and charity as we need; it’s hope that we sometimes struggle with. Can you imagine, for 18 months I could

over 10,000 statues and icons were sent all over the world, and the "Mary of Nazareth" Project, now in full-swing, was one of its many fruits. Edmond had the gift of leadership and could easily attract [...] from all France would travel as Pilgrim Virgins from one town to the next, and the locals would propose vigils around Jesus and Mary. So Edmond concocted, little by little, the plan for the Pilgrim Virgins [...] te, human, humble, loyal and good. He was "a man of God" as the late Father Marie-Dominique Philippe once said of him. He has gone to his homeland, to the Blessed Virgin Mary whom he loved so well, to

Gertrude the Great (d. 1302) Olive Tree of Mercy O Olive tree of mercy? Hail Mary, Mother of God. Hail Mary, Queen of Kindness, and Olive Tree of Mercy, from whom the remedy of life came to us. Since, by your [...] motherly love, despite my unworthiness. Help me to believe ? preserve and strengthen my faith. Grant me your care in this life, and receive me with the plenitude of your motherhood at the hour of my death

Gertrude the Great (d. 1302) Olive Tree of Mercy O Olive tree of mercy? Hail Mary, Mother of God. Hail Mary, Queen of Kindness, and Olive Tree of Mercy, from whom the remedy of life came to us. Since, by your [...] motherly love, despite my unworthiness. Help me to believe ? preserve and strengthen my faith. Grant me your care in this life, and receive me with the plenitude of your motherhood at the hour of my death

of our human nature and the all-surpassing greatness of divine grace. (...) Even the early Protestant reformers never called for a wholesale rejection of the Marian dogmas. Luther and Calvin believed, for [...] for example, in Mary's perpetual virginity. Luther even believed in the Assumption and the Immaculate Conception, centuries before the Church solemnly defined it. Not until later generations would Christians [...] Catholics make a goddess of the Blessed Virgin. But that is an abominable fiction. As much as we exalt Mary above our own sinful selves, we recognize that she is more like us than she is like God. She is still

so much pain, so much loss. And she carried on with faith and love and hope in everlasting life. In fact, even in those images of the Annunciation and the Nativity, Mary is not always seen as rejoicing [...] understood sorrow and grief and sadness. There’s no grief we can bring to her that she doesn’t understand. Maybe that’s why I love the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows—and I appreciate it more and more over time [...] the temple, meeting Jesus on the way to Calvary, His crucifixion and death, Jesus’ body being taken down from the cross, and His burial. Mary accompanied her Son through those difficult times, even when others

encourages believers to establish an open dialogue with Mary--to share their vulnerabilities and sufferings. "Understand that Mary seeks intimacy, and to truly have intimacy with someone, you need to be able [...] beautiful, it's tender. And from a masculine perspective, the Rosary is a sword, a spiritual weapon." Secondly, the constant “presence of Mary” in daily life acts as a soothing balm and a guiding light in his [...] Finally, the understanding and embracing of “Mary's Stigmata” act as the third guide in spiritual warfare. Fr. Klimek introduces this concept as a way to draw strength from Mary’s shared suffering with Christ

love you” to God, the Trinity, to Jesus and to Mary. With each successive bead (or decade) the meaning shifts as we contemplate a new aspect of Jesus or Mary’s love. Before beginning the Rosary, we should [...] these tips and see what happens. It might take a little time, but eventually your persistence will pay off. The next time you pick up your rosary beads, imagine that you’re holding Mary’s hand and taking a [...] the Rosary? I’ve always found praying the Rosary to be difficult. Although I love the Blessed Mother and understand the importance of the devotion, it just doesn’t come easy to me. Sometimes it feels as if

be strange to visit a friend's home and yet never hear him speak of his mother. (...) True, in the course of History, there have been exaggerations in devotion to Mary, but it was not the Church that made [...] made her important; it was Christ Himself. The Church has never adored Mary, because only God may be adored. But she, of all creatures, was closest to God. Without her as the key, it is difficult to discover [...] space, were it not for the sun. All its light is reflected from that glowing furnace. In like manner, Mary reflects her Divine Son, without whom she is nothing. On dark nights we are thankful for the moon;