In the time of Jesus, a widow who had no close male relative to look after her faced a precarious existence. By entrusting Mary to the “beloved disciple” (commonly understood to be John), ...

I don’t know about “hidden” symbols specifically, but there are many traditional symbols for the Mother of God. These include a heart pierced by a sword or swords (echoing the words of Simeon in ...

A few thoughts come to mind with regards to your question (which, by the way, is a great one to address). First off, let’s reflect on what the Catholic Church teaches about ...

My own life hasn’t involved nearly as much foreign travel as I’d like, so I can’t speak from extensive firsthand experience. But I have talked to lots of different women about Mary over the ...

On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II survived an assassination attempt in St. Peter’s Square. May 13 is the anniversary of the first apparition of Mary to three peasant children in Fatima, ...

It is common to find stories of unusual or miraculous births in various religious traditions (everything from impregnation by a god to a sterile woman suddenly conceiving and giving birth). This fact in itself, ...

Where can I see the Pietà? And do they make small reproductions of it that I can buy for my nightstand? The term “Pietà” refers to any image of Mary holding Christ’s dead body. ...

Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title for Mary as the patroness of the Carmelite order. Mount Carmel is located about twenty miles from Nazareth. For many years, the mountain attracted religious ...

First, let me make an important clarification: Catholics are not required to involve Mary in their prayer lives. Doing so is totally voluntary. Many people pray to her and ask for her intercession; ...

The infancy narratives (the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke) definitely comprise the bulk of Scriptural references to Mary. She is, of course, also present on Calvary when Christ died (John ...

Imagine that dear friends of yours were getting married, and the beverages ran out shortly after the reception began. It wouldn’t ruin their marriage, certainly, but it would put a damper on the celebration. ...

Many Christians are surprised to learn that the Qur’an contains numerous references to Mary. In fact, there is a sura (chapter) entitled “Maryam” (Arabic for Mary) -- the only sura in the Qur’an that ...

The communion of saints is one of the things that I love most about being Catholic. In brief, it’s the belief that there’s a family bond, a communion, between all believers in Christ – ...

If you’re looking for a general overview, I recommend The Catholic Companion to Mary, by Mary Kathleen Glavich.  This highly readable book covers key events of Mary’s life and explains Catholic teachings/beliefs about Mary.  It ...

When Jesus was on the cross, he entrusted the care of his mother to the beloved apostle (commonly believed to be John). “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, ...

In the Bible, Mary speaks on four separate occasions. During the Annunciation, she asks the angel how she, a virgin, could be the mother of God (Luke 1:34); later, she responds, “Behold, I am ...

Mary, Seat of Wisdom (also known as Our Lady of the Chair or the Latin name Sedes Sapientiae), is a very old title for Mary.  As with all of Mary’s titles, it highlights one specific aspect of ...

What we know about Mary’s parents comes mainly from apocryphal texts -- texts that are written in the style of sacred scripture but are not ...

The English major in me says that there are Marian themes in anything, if you look hard enough.  All joking aside, your question is a fascinating one. The first connection that came to my mind is ...

Question:  How can Mary be the Mother of God, if God is eternal?  Wouldn't that mean she existed before God? It’s a great question, and one that was addressed definitively at the Council of Ephesus in ...