1.

Immaculate conception

The Immaculate Conception is a Roman Catholic dogma that asserts that Mary, the mother
of Jesus, was preserved by God from the stain of original sin at the time of her own conception.
This doctrine says she was not afflicted by the lack of sanctifying grace that afflicts humankind,
but was instead filled with grace by God, and furthermore lived a life completely free from sin.
The Immaculate Conception was solemnly defined as a dogma by Pope Pius IX in his
constitution, Ineffabilis Deus, on December 8, 1854, and consecrated by Pope Pius XII in
1942.The Conception of Mary was celebrated in England from the ninth century up until today in
the whole Church.

2. Our Lady of Fatima

On May 13, 1917, Lucia dos Santos (aged 9) and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto (aged
8 and 6, respectively) were tending sheep in central Portugal, about 113 km (70 miles) northeast
of Lisbon, when they had a vision of a woman surrounded by light who identified herself as the
Lady of the Rosary and seeing the vision five more times, once each month through October.
During her appearances, Our Lady of Fátima supposedly gave the children three secrets and
repeatedly exhorted them to pray the rosary for world peace and emphasized the necessity of
devotions to her Immaculate Heart in order for souls to be saved..At the end of the 20th century,
there was growing speculation concerning the three secrets Our Lady of Fátima allegedly
revealed to the children in 1917. Though two of the messages had been disclosed in the 1940s—
commonly interpreted as the prediction of the end of World War I and the start of World War
II and the rise and fall of communism—the third had been kept secret by the Vatican, giving rise
to numerous theories. In May 2000 it was finally announced that the third message was the
Virgin Mary’s vision of the May 13, 1981, assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, .and
the pope publicly credited Our Lady of Fátima for saving his life.

3. Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Lady of Lourdes is a title of the Virgin Mary by the Roman Catholic Church due to
her apparitions that occurred in Lourdes, France. The first apparition of 11 February 1858, of
which Bernadette Soubirous (age 14) told her mother that a "Lady" spoke to her in the cave of
Massabielle, while she was gathering firewood with her sister and a friend. Similar apparitions of
the "Lady" were reported on 18 occasions that year, until the climax revelation in which she
introduced herself as: the Immaculate Conception On 18 January 1862, the local Bishop of
Tarbes Bertrand-Sévère Laurence endorsed the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in
Lourdes. On 1 February 1876, Pope Pius IX officially granted a decree of canonical
coronation to the image as Notre-Dame du Saint Rosaire. Bernadette Soubirous was canonized
by Pope Pius XI in 1933.Through that humble girl, Mary revitalized and continues to revitalize
the faith of millions of people. People began to flock to Lourdes from other parts of France and
from all over the world. In 1862 Church authorities confirmed the authenticity of the apparitions
and authorized the cult of Our Lady of Lourdes for the diocese. The Feast of Our Lady of
Lourdes became worldwide in 1907.
3. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the title given to the Virgin Mary in her appearance
before St. Juan Diego in a vision in 1531. The name also refers to the Marian apparition itself.
Our Lady of Guadalupe holds a special place in the religious life of Mexico and is one of the
most popular religious devotions. Her image has played an important role as a national symbol of
Mexico.
According to tradition, Mary appeared to Juan Diego, who was an Aztec convert to Christianity,
on December 9 and again on December 12, 1531. During her first apparition she requested that a
shrine to her be built on the spot where she appeared, Tepeyac Hill (now in a suburb of Mexico
City). The bishop demanded a sign before he would approve construction of a church, however.
Mary then appeared a second time to Juan Diego and ordered him to collect roses. In a second
audience with the bishop, Juan Diego opened his cloak, letting dozens of roses fall to the floor
and revealing the image of Mary imprinted on the inside of the cloak—the image that is now
venerated in the Basilica of Guadalupe.

4. Miraculous Medal

The Miraculous Medal, popularly known as the Miraculous Medal, is unique among all medals.
The Blessed Virgin gave it to Catherine Laboure on November 27th, 1830. The apparition
appeared in the Motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent De Paul and St. Louise
de Marillac, in Paris France. Catherine saw Our Lady standing on a globe with dazzling rays of
light streaming from her outstretched hands. Mary then spoke to Catherine, “Have a medal struck
upon this model. Those who wear it will receive great graces, especially if they wear it around
their neck.”

The vision then rotated showing the reverse side of the medal: the letter M surmounted by a
cross with a bar at its base. Below this monogram, the Sacred Heart of Jesus crowned with
thorns, and the Immaculate Heart of Mary pierced with a sword. During this apparition, Mary
told her that the rays symbolize the graces that she bestows to all who ask for them. The stones
that shed no light represent the graces that people forget to ask for. Then an oval appeared around
the Blessed Mother, with the words “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have
recourse to thee.” Those who wear it when it is blessed will receive great graces, especially if
they wear it about the neck. Today, millions of Catholics show their love of Christ by honoring
his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary, by wearing this Medal.

5. Our Lady of Mount CarmelHistory

Since the ancient hermits that established themselves on Mt. Carmel, the Carmelites have been
known for their deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. They interpreted the cloud of the
vision of Elijah (1 Kings 18:44) as a symbol of the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Already in the 13th
century, five centuries before the proclamation of the dogma, the Carmelite misal contained a
Mass for the Immaculate Conception. The Carmelites have spread among the Christian people
devotion to Our Lady of Mount Carmel, holding her up as a model of prayer, contemplation and
dedication to God. Indeed, Mary was the first, in a way which can never be equalled, to believe
and experience that Jesus, the Incarnate Word, is the summit, the peak of man's encounter with
God. By fully accepting the Word, she "was blessedly brought to the holy Mountain" and lives
for ever with the Lord in body and soul. The devotion to Our Lady of Carmel was propagated
especially in the places were the Carmelites were established.

6. Our Lady of the Annunciation

The Feast of the Annunciation commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin
Mary, during which he informed her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. It is celebrated on 25 March; however, if 25 March falls either in Holy Week or in Easter
Week, the feast is postponed to the Monday after the Second Sunday of Easter.The Feast of the
Annunciation is observed almost universally throughout Christianity. It is a major Marian feast,
classified as a solemnity in the Catholic Church, because it announces the incarnation of Christ,
it is counted as one of the eight great feasts of the Lord. The importance attached to the
Annunciation, especially in the Catholic Church, are the Angelus and the Hail Mary prayers, the
event's position as the first Joyful Mystery of the Dominican Rosary, the Novena for the Feast of
the Annunciation, and the numerous depictions of the Annunciation in Christian art.Pope John
Paul II established 25 March as the International Day of the Unborn Child, for its
commemoration of the conception of Jesus.
 Our Lady of the Sacred heart

In the 14th century St. Bridget of Sweden had a great devotion to the Heart of Mary. Jesus
revealed to her that the Two Hearts of His Mother and His Own were a oneness of love:

"The Heart of My Mother was like Mine, We worked together for the salvation of mankind; I by
the sufferings of My Body, she by the Sorrows of her Heart."

St. Francis de Sales, in his treatise, ON THE LOVE OF GOD, elaborated on Mary's love: "Since
eternal love is the most ardent of all forms of love, and is an indefatigable and insatiable love,
how much must it have been in the Heart of such a Mother and for the Heart of such a Son?" St.
Francis promoted this devotion in 1622.

The devotion to Our Lady of the Immaculate Heart grew after the Apparition to St. Catherine
Laboure, a Sister of Charity in the Rue de Bac, Paris, in November of 1830; this was the
occasion for the Miraculous Medal of the Immaculate Conception. On one side of the Medal is
the image of the Cross with Mary's initial, M, on it and beneath the Cross there are two Hearts
close by each other, one with thorns encircling it, and the other, pierced by a sword. This was the
image of the Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart.

All of these great events were leading to the special devotion of Our Lady as Our Lady of the
Sacred Heart as such, which came from 19th century France, in the diocese of Bourges.

Through the love Fr. Chevalier bore for the Sacred Heart, he made a pilgrimage to the tomb of
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque in Paray le Monial and prayed to the Saint to obtain for him a deep
love for the Heart of Jesus. Three years later in May of 1857, he was moved to promote another
title for Our Blessed Mother, that of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, saying:
"We would thank and glorify God for having chosen Mary among all creatures to form in her
virginal womb the adorable Heart of Jesus ... we ask this compassionate Virgin to lead us to the
Heart of Jesus."

Pope Pius IX was pleased by Fr. Chevalier's efforts, expressing a desire to be a member of the
Congregation itself, adding to his signature, "Pius IX who desires to love the Blessed Virgin
Mary." The devotion grew in Italy after that and by 1972 there were at least 45 Italian Bishops
who have promoted the Devotion to Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.

7. Our Lady of Vocation

Saint Ambrose once wrote that the Blessed Mother is "the hope of the Church." Without her
direction, he said, the Church would have a much more difficult time being truthful and faithful
to Christ. In 1964, Pope Paul VI wrote that Our Lady, as the "Mother of Christ, [is] therefore the
Mother of us. She is the model of Christian perfection, the mirror of true virtues, [and] the pride
of true humanity." The logical extrapolation of this teaching is that Mary can also be called
Mother of Vocations. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who founded the Church. Consequently, the
Blessed Mother is Mother of the Church. Thus, anything that is of concern to the Church
becomes Mary's own concern. One of those issues is the pressing problem of vocations.
We can easily see why Our Lady can be called the Mother of Vocations. The recent abundance of
vocations to the religious life of young men wanting to become members of the Marian Fathers
of the Immaculate Conception gives credence to this, since, to a man, they credit Mary for their
religious calling. “Every aspect of priestly formation can be referred to Mary, the human being
who has responded better than any other to God’s call. Mary became both the servant and the
disciple of the Word to the point of conceiving, in her heart and in her flesh, the Word made man,
so as to give him to mankind. Mary was called to educate the one Eternal Priest, who became
docile and subject to her motherly authority. With her example and intercession the Blessed
Virgin keeps vigilant watch over the growth of vocations and priestly life in the Church.”

8. Mary Help of Christians

The tradition of this devotion goes back to 1571, when the whole of Christendom was saved by
Mary Help of Christians when Catholics throughout Europe prayed the Rosary. The great battle
of Lepanto occurred on October 7th 1571. For this reason this date has been chosen as the feast
of the Holy Rosary. In 1573 Pope Pius V instituted the feast in thanksgiving for the decisive
victory of Christianity over Islamism.

Near the end of the 17th century, Emperor Leopold I of Austria took refuge in the Shrine of
Mary Help of Christians at Pasau, when 200,000 Ottoman Turks besieged the capital city of
Vienna, but a great victory occurred thanks to Mary Help of Christians: on September 8th, Feast
of Our Lady's Birthday, plans were drawn for the battle. On September 12, Feast of the Holy
Name of Mary, Vienna was finally freed through the intercession of Mary Help of Christians. All
Europe had joined with the Emperor crying out "Mary, Help!" and praying the Holy rosary.

St. John Bosco (1815 - 1888) was a dynamic priest who founded the Salesian Order in the 19th
century in Italy. His many prophetic dreams, beginning at age nine, guided his ministry and gave
insights on future events.

On May 14, 1862, Don Bosco dreamed about the battles the Church would face in the latter days.
In his dream, the Pope of those days anchors the 'ship' of the Church between two pillars, one
with a statue of Mary (Auxilium Christianorum or 'Help of Christians') and the other with a large
Eucharistic Host

The Salesian Sisters of St John Bosco or Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, are the sister
order of the Salesians of Don Bosco.

St. John Bosco, himself, on June 9 1868, dedicated to Our Lady Help of Christians, the mother
church of his congregation at Turin (Italy). The Salesian Fathers and their Sisters have carried
the devotion to their numerous establishments.
 9. Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Immaculate Heart of Mary is a Roman Catholic devotion which refers to the view of the
interior life of Mary, her joys and sorrows, her virtues and hidden perfections, and, above all, her
virginal love for God the Father, her maternal love for her son Jesus Christ, and her motherly and
compassionate love for all mankind. Traditionally, the Immaculate Heart is depicted pierced with
seven swords or wounds, in homage to the seven sorrows of Mary and roses, usually red or
white, wrapped around the heart.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary was honored to some degree prior to the 17th century, but St.
John Eudes, a 17th-century French priest, popularized this devotion with his great love of the
Blessed Mother. The Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word lead the devotion of reparation
to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1944 to be celebrated on
22 August, coinciding with the traditional octave day of the Assumption. In 1969, Pope Paul
VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to the Saturday, immediately after
the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This means in practice that it is now held on the third
Saturday after Pentecost.

At the same time as he closely associated the celebrations of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and
the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pope Paul VI moved the celebration of the Queenship of Mary from
31 May to 22 August, bringing it into association with the feast of her Assumption. Those who
use the 1962 edition of the Roman Missal or an earlier one (but not more than 17 years before
1962) observe the day established by Pius XII.

10.Our lady of La Salette

Before the apparition, La Salette was an unknown hamlet lost in one of those giant crevices of
the French Alps. Early on September 19, 1846, the two children climb the slopes of the Mount
Sous-Les-Baisses, each urging four cows up the mountain. Contrary to their habits, the two
children lied down on the grass and fell asleep. The September sun was relaxing and the sky was
cloudless. The chattering brook highlighted the mountain stillness.

A woman appeared within the light; she was sitting, her head in her hands, her elbows on her
knees, in deepest grief. The Lady rose slowly. The children had not moved. She spoke to them in
French: “Come near, my children, do not be afraid. I am here to tell you great news.” They
approached the Lady. The beautiful Lady spoke to the two shepherds. “She wept all the while she
spoke to us”, said Maximin and Mélanie later. “We listened. All our attention was on her.”
Mary's message to the two children at La Salette was the warning of a mother concerned over her
wayward children. She complained: “If my people refuse to submit, I will be forced to let go the
arm of my Son” and more specifically: “Those who drive the carts cannot swear without using
my Son's name...they labor all day Sunday...there are none who go to Mass...when they do not
know what to do, they go to Mass just to make fun of religion...” She warned: “If the harvest is
ruined, it is only on account of yourselves...If you have wheat, you must not sow it. Anything
you sow the vermin will eat...A great famine is coming...” She promised: “If [my people] are
converted, rocks and stones will turn into heaps of wheat, and potatoes will be self-sown in the
fields...”

Mary’s apparition at La Salette is a modern-day reminder of an ancient truth: that Mary

constantly intercedes for us before God; that she is the Reconciler of Sinners, calling us back to
the message and way of the Son, Jesus.

11.Our Lady of Good Voyage

The devotion to Our Lady of Good Voyage started in Gloucester. The church in honor of Our
Lady was built for the large Gloucester Portuguese community which began immigrating to the
Gloucester area in the early 1800’s to work in the thriving local fishing industry.

The first church was built in 1892 to serve the Portuguese immigrant population, but ultimately
burned in 1914. A new church was built to resemble the Santa Maria Madalena church in the
Azorean community of Madalena on the island of Pico.

The reason that the Madonna is such an important icon in the fishing community goes back
to the story of fishermen who were stranded in the Atlantic. According to the story, the
fishermen broke their oars and were unable to get back to shore. Desperate, the fisherman sought
help from the Madonna and an apparition appeared, the sea miraculously calmed, and they were
able to get back home safely.

At the top of the Our Lady of Good Voyage Church is a statue of Mary holding a boat in her left
hand, a symbol of a safe voyage.

In 1990 Our Lady of Good Voyage Church was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
If you want a close up view of the statue, you should head over to Cape Ann Museum in
Gloucester. They have the original Our Lady of Good Voyage on display and you can get up
close and personal with this piece of Cape Ann history.

12.Our Lady of the Holy Rosary

The rosary has been a popular, Scripturally-based set of prayers invoking Mary's intercession
since the Middle Ages. The most widely accepted legend of the rosary's origins holds that Mary
appeared to Saint Dominic when he was struggling with preaching in the early 13th century and
instructed him in this new prayer practice. In this apparition, Mary told him to encourage people
to pray the rosary, and Dominic found subsequent great success in his preaching once he began
spreading this devotion.

October 7th was chosen as the feast for celebrating Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary due to her
intercession for the European naval forces in the Battle of Lepanto in 1571. Originally, Mary was
honored today under the title "Our Lady of Victory," to celebrate the aid she gave to the
European navy. For on the day of the battle, Pope Pius V called upon Christians all over Europe
to pray the rosary in anticipation of the cataclysmic naval battle, asking for Mary’s intercession
in battle. After the victory, the Pius V instituted a feast day to Our Lady of Victory,
commemorating the power of the rosary in obtaining Mary's intercession. Three years later, the
name of this feast was changed to Our Lady of the Rosary, and its presence in October led the
entire month of October to be celebrated still by many Catholics as the month of the rosary.

Despite the rosary's mythical beginnings, and the spectacular origins of today's feast, the rosary's
real power is not in the miracles worked through it, but in its gradual and gentle transformation
of the hearts of those who pray it to model the obedient, courageous heart of Mary. And, finally,
in its conversion of our vision to see God's saving work not as history locked in ancient texts, but
as a palpable, tangible reality in our own lives, today.
 Our Lady of pillar

The advocacy to Our Lady of the Pillar dates to the first years of evangelization on the Iberian
Peninsula of the European continent. It is also considered "the oldest Marian apparition
recognized by the Church" (Catholic News Agency) and it is represented with a small bronze
statue of the Virgin with the Child Jesus in her arms on a jasper pillar. The account of this
apparition as shown on the archives of the Cathedral of Zaragoza in Spain is as follows: “The
tradition of the apparition of the Virgin in Zaragoza in mortal flesh is the central issue that gives
meaning to everything that surrounds the world of “the Pillar.” It is about a pious tradition,
according to which, the apostle James the Great was in Cesaraugusta, on the banks of the Ebro
River, along with a small group of converts who had heard and believed his preaching.

But the natives were quite hard of hearing and heart, and so the apostle saw their strength falter
and they began to wonder if it made sense to continue preaching the message of Jesus on this
earth. When his weakness, due to discouragement, made him lose his integrity, he saw Mary, the
Mother of Jesus, in a glorious apparition (Mary had not died yet), surrounded by angels who,
from Jerusalem, came to comfort him and renew his spirits. The Blessed Virgin gave James the
jasper Column that today supports her image as a symbol of the strength that his faith should
have. This happened at dawn on January 2, 40 A.D. Mary talked with James and asked him to
build a temple in that same place. According to the same tradition, the Column (Pillar) that the
Virgin gave to James has remained in the same place since then.” (Catedral de Zaragoza) The
intercession of Our Lady of the Pillar to help the Apostle James to continue his evangelizing task
in the old continent, is seen again on October 12, 1492, with the arrival of Christopher Columbus
and the many missionaries who brought the message of Christ to the Americas. For this reason,
Saint John Paul II "recognized the Virgin of the Pillar as Patroness of all Hispanic peoples"
during his visit to the Cathedral of Our Lady in 1984. (Catholic News Agency) The feast of Our
Lady of the Pillar is celebrated on October 12 with great devotion in many Spanish-speaking
nations with chants and flowers as a remembrance of the figure of Mary, not only as the union
between two continents, but also as the column of our faith in times of difficulty.

13.Our Lady of Untier of knots

The Roman Catholic faith offers many facets to the devotion to the Mother of God. The
particular devotion to Our Lady Undoer of Knots is well known throughout Latin America
through the work of then Father Jorge Mario Bergoglio (Pope Francis).

This devotion emerged in Germany in the late seventeenth century. Historical data on the
devotion is scarce and not well outlined. Its roots, however, go back to the early Church in the
second century and the meditations of St. Irenaeus on Our Lady’s virtues: “The knot of
disobedience of the first woman, Eve, was undone by the obedience of Mary; the knot the virgin
Eve had created was undone by the Virgin Mary through her faith.”

The knots often depicted in images of Our Lady Undoer of Knots represent whatever causes
suffering in our lives such as discord in families, misunderstanding between children and
parents, violence, anger, drug addiction, fear, and lack of peace. Most importantly, they are
whatever impedes the glory of God from shining in our lives.

Fr. Bergoglio fell in love with this devotion as soon as he discovered it when he went to
Germany to complete his thesis on the German theologian Romano Guardini in the 1980s. Mary
Undoer of Knots was welcomed with great enthusiasm in South America.
 14. Our Lady of all nation

The devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary as “The Lady of All Nations” originated in Amsterdam,
as the fruit of apparitions from Our Lady to a young Dutch woman at the end of World War II.

Initially, the local bishop at the time was skeptical. Later, he changed his mind and took a
positive position. In 1974, however, the Vatican followed his initially negative judgment, and
issued a statement in which public devotion was prohibited, because a supernatural origin was
not established at that time (Non constat de supernaturalitate).

Later, the Vatican modified its position and allowed the public veneration. In 1996, the then local
bishop officially communicated this to the faithful. In 2002, his successor approved the
apparitions as in essence consisting of a supernatural origin (constat de supernaturalitate).

Eighteen years later in 2020, however, the new local bishop, at the request of the Vatican
Congregation, issued a letter in which he withdrew the approval of authenticity by his
predecessor. He, nonetheless, allowed the public devotion of the Lady of All Nations title, the
image, and the prayer.

17. Our Lady of Perpetual Help

The origin of the icon that is at the center of devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help is unknown.
Many have thought that St. Luke painted it, but its existence prior to the late Middle Ages cannot
be confirmed.

The icon features the child Jesus fleeing into his Mother's protective arms as the Archangels
Michael and Gabriel show Him the instruments of crucifixion. The Greek letters spell out the
first letters of Mary and Jesus' names.

The icon arrived in Rome in the 15th century after a merchant who had heard about a miraculous
image on the island of Crete went to the island and stole it. When he arrived in Rome with the
icon among his wares, he fell very ill. As he lay dying, he ordered that a friend place the icon in a
church, perhaps hoping that it would alleviate his suffering.

The Virgin evidently was not pleased and several times appeared to the man and told him that
she wished for her image to be placed in a church. The man, despite the miraculous visitation,
was not moved to relinquish control of the image. The Blessed Virgin next appeared to the man's
daughter and asked that the icon be enshrined in a church between the two very large churches of
St. Mary Major and St. John Lateran. The daughter communicated this to her father and he
relented, and so the icon was enshrined in 1499 in St. Matthew's, the church that lies between the
two larger edifices.

In 1855, the Order of Redemptorists came to Rome and were granted possession of the location
where St. Matthew's had once stood to build a church in honor of their founder, St. Alphonsus
Liguori. It happened that a young Redemptorist priest remembered that as a young boy he had
been told of a miraculous image that had once been enshrined in the previous church. The image
had been safely transferred to an Augustinian monastery near Rome.

Today, replicas of the image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help grace the altars of countless
churches throughout the world.
 15.Our Lady of Peace

The history of the title of "Our Lady, Queen of Peace" dates to the early 16th century when Jean
de Joyeuse presented a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary to his bride, Françoise e Voisins, on
their wedding day. Unlike other statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary was depicted holding
an olive branch in her right hand and the Prince of Peace - Jesus Christ - seated in her left arm.
The statue became a family heirloom that was passed down to Jean's grandson, Henri Joyeuse,
who joined the Capuchin's in Paris, France. The statue remained with the Capuchins in Paris for
the next two-hundred years. It was at this time that the statue was re-named: Notre Dame de
Paix - Our Lady of Peace.

In 1657, due to the growth of the Capuchin community, a new chapel was built, and the statue
was properly blessed and enthroned in that chapel by the Papal Nuncio and in the presence of
King Louis XIV on July 9, 1657. Pope Alexander VII would later designate July 9 as the date for
the Capuchin's to celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Peace. No doubt, peace was greatly
desired between Pope Alexander VII and France, especially after the pope's condemnation of
Jansenism on October 16, 1656, in the bull Ad Sanctam Beati Petri sedem Thus, the action of
enthroning our Lady of Peace in the presence of the King of France, at that time, was quite a
bold act and one that surely sought Mary's intercession to bring peace to this theological error of
Jansenism.

On June 25, 1981, the messages of Our Lady, who identifies herself as the “Queen of Peace”
began in Medjugorje. Granted, Our Lady’s message of “peace, peace, peace” occurred on June
26, however the 25th is the day that is celebrated.

16.Our Lady of Sorrow

In 1233, seven devout men in Florence each had a vision from the Blessed Virgin Mary,
inspiring them to form a religious community that would later be known as the Servites. Around
the year 1240, these same men received another vision of the Mother of God, accompanied by
angels. She informed them about their mission, provided them with their habits, presented their
rule of life, and personally founded their order. In that apparition, they were instructed to spread
devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary, which became one of their central missions. Through
the efforts of the Servite order in the subsequent centuries, the liturgical celebration honoring
Our Lady of Sorrows gradually expanded.

In the late thirteenth century, the traditional prayer, Stabat Mater (Standing Mother), was
composed and quickly became well known. This prayer emphasizes the deep sorrow in Mary’s
Heart as she stood before the Cross with tremendous strength and motherly compassion for her
Son.

17.Our Lady Star of the Sea

It is believed that the beautiful title for Mary – Our Lady Star of the Sea originates from a mis-
translation of her name from Hebrew, Miryam, meaning drop of the sea, into the Latin Stilla
Maris or Stella Maris, Star of the Sea.

Not surprisingly, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Stella Maris or Mary or Star of the Sea has become a
much loved title and devotion especially in many Catholic coastal communities.

As the Mother of Jesus, Mary was His precious guide and constant companion. As our Mother
she is also our guide.

Just as the constellations guided the seafarer in times past, safely back home, and the Christmas
star led the magi to the Christ Child, so too does Mary, as a star, guide us all gently to her Son
our Saviour, to a place where the storms of life cannot destroy us. The Feast Day of Mary Star of
the Sea is celebrated on 31 May.

18. Queen of Apostles

Our Lady Queen of the Apostles is a title given to the Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus, in the
Roman Catholic Church. The devotion to Our Lady Queen of the Apostles centers around her
role as the mother of the Church and her continued intercession for the faithful.

The title of Queen of the Apostles was first given to Mary in the early 20th century by Pope Pius
XII. It recognizes her role as the mother of Jesus, the head of the apostles, and her continued
intercession for the Church. The devotion to Our Lady Queen of the Apostles is an expression of
the belief that Mary is an important part of the Church and plays a vital role in its salvation.

One of the key elements of the devotion is the belief in the intercession of Mary. The faithful
believe that Mary intercedes with her son Jesus on their behalf and helps to bring them closer to
God. This intercession is believed to be especially powerful for those who are devoted to her and
seek her help. Through prayer and other devotions, the faithful seek Mary’s help and guidance in
living their lives as followers of Jesus. This devotion is expressed through personal and
communal practices, as well as through art, architecture and religious congregations.
 19.Our Lady of the Assumption

15 August the Church celebrates the Feast Day of the Assumption of Our Lady when according
to our faith, the Holy Mother, “having completed her course of her earthly life, was assumed
body and soul into heavenly glory”.

Although defined as an article of faith by Pope Pius XII just over half a century ago, the
Assumption of Our Lady into heaven has been accepted from back to the earliest of Christian
times.

The Assumption signals the end of Mary’s earthly life and marks her return to heaven to be
reunited with Jesus. While the bodies of both Jesus and Mary are now in heaven, there is a
difference between the Assumption and the Resurrection. Where Jesus arose from the tomb and
ascended into heaven by his own power, Mary’s body was taken up to heaven by the power of
her Son.

For this reason we use different words to describe each event. One is the Ascension of Christ and
the other, the Assumption of Mary.

For many, the most telling verification of the Assumption can be found not only in learned
theological studies or definitive doctrinal statements, but in the medium of Mary’s many
apparitions which the Church has declared worthy of belief. Where these apparitions have
appeared have become beloved Holy shrines visited by millions each year and include the
Shrines of Our Lady at Guadaloupe, Lourdes and Fatima.

20.Mother of Mercy
The Virgin of Mercy is a subject in Christian art, showing a group of people sheltering for
protection under the outspread cloak, or pallium, of the Virgin Mary. It was especially popular in
Italy from the 13th to 16th centuries, often as a specialised form of votive portrait; it is also
found in other countries and later art, especially Spain and Latin America.

Usually the Virgin is standing alone, though if angels hold up the cloak, she is free to hold the
infant Christ.The people sheltered normally kneel, and are of necessity shown usually at a much
smaller scale. These may represent all members of Christian society, with royal
crowns, mitres and a papal tiara in the front rows, or represent the local population. The subject
was often commissioned by specific groups such as families, confraternities, guilds or convents
or abbeys, and then the figures represent these specific groups, as shown by their dress, or by the
15th century individual portraits. Sometimes arrows rain down from above, which the cloak
prevents from reaching the people. The term "Virgin of Mercy" is found in a number of other
contexts not directly related to the image. It is a common translation of the Eleusa type of icon of
the Virgin and Child.The Virgin of Mercy is patron saint of Barcelona, celebrated in the week-
long La Mercè festival each year, but in this role is not especially associated with this type of
image. Her title reminds us of the 1218 apparition asking for the ransom of Christians (mercede)
who sell prisoners to Arabs (Saracens) occupying Southern Spain and Northern Africa. The title
was promoted by the congregation of the Mercedarians: a feast in her honor was proclaimed in
1615 to commemorate the apparition.

21.Our Lady of Charity

The history of the devotion to Our Lady of Charity originated towards the beginning of the 17th
century near Santiago, Cuba. Three boys, Rodrigo and Juan de Hoyos and Juan Moreno, were
gathering salt to preserve the town’s meat supply, when a violent storm threatened their small
boat. Suddenly the waves calmed and the winds died down and the boys saw what they thought
was a bird floating on the sea. When they looked closer, they discovered it was an image of the
Blessed Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus in her arm and a cross in her other hand. Despite
being in the storm tossed sea, the statue was not wet. At the bottom of the image was written (in
Spanish), “I am the Virgin of Charity.” The boys brought the image back to their town where a
chapel was erected which became a pilgrimage site.

Pope Benedict XV declared her the patroness of Cuba in 1916 and established her feast day on
September 8 and Pope Paul VI elevated the shrine to the dignity of a basilica in 1977. St. John
Paul II crowned the image of Our Lady of Charity as “Queen and Patroness of Cuba” during is
Apostolic Visit to the country in January 1998.

22.Comfort of the Afflicted

The title Consoler of the Afflicted is one given to the Virgin Mary because having endured
suffering she is able to console those who are afflicted. Blessed John Henry Newman explains
the secret of true consolation “those are able to comfort others who, in their own case, have been
much tried, and have felt the need of consolation, and have received it.”

Newman signals out one particular type of suffering, namely that of travel to foreign lands with
little means and exposed to many dangers, such as that faced by the Virgin Mary, first to Egypt
and after Jesus’ death to Ephesus. “In spite of all St. John’s care of her, which was as great as
was St. Joseph’s in her younger days, she, more than all the saints of God, was a stranger and a
pilgrim upon earth, in proportion to her greater love of Him who had been on earth, and had
gone away.”

And this too is why the Blessed Virgin is the comforter of the afflicted. We all know how special
a mother’s consolation is, and we are allowed to call Mary our Mother from the time that our
Lord from the Cross established the relation of mother and son between her and St. John. And
she especially can console us because she suffered more than mothers in general

23.Mother of Christ

Mary (in English) or Miriam (in Hebrew) or Maryam (in Arabic) was born into the Jewish
community around 20BC in Nazareth, Galilee. In the Christian tradition, her birthday is
celebrated on the 8th September and in both Christian and Islamic traditions, she is the child of St
Joachim and St Anne.

Mary’s obedience to God as well as the virgin birth led to her being venerated across the world.
The Islamic tradition views Maryam as a holy woman and mother to the prophet Jesus- although
it does Many Christians, particularly from Presbyterian backgrounds, believe that Mary was
blessed to have been chosen as a vessel for God’s work, but otherwise see her as a normal human
being, who went on to have a conventional life after Jesus’ birth- including becoming the mother
of Jesus’ siblings. For Roman Catholics and many Anglicans, Mary takes on greater
significance. She is believed to have perpetual virginity- meaning that she was a virgin both
before Christ’s birth; that she retained her virginity despite giving birth, and that she continued a
virgin for the remainder of her life. Mary is also held to be the mother of God- that is the mother
of a divine being, not just the mother of a human incarnation of God, and so is sometimes seen as
the mother of heaven.

While Mary is often promoted as a model of chastity and obedience, as the mother of heaven- as
well as her association with older Pre-Christian gods- she is also a figure of authority and
respect. She has held multiple and complex meanings for different people. As a result, she has
been a popular exemplar amongst women as a religious model of behaviour- allowing them a
degree of flexibility and choice in their actions.

24.Queen of Martyrs

The title of Queen of Martyrs is found in the Litany of the Blessed Virgin, approved by papal
authority in 1587. Early tradition had maintained that the Virgin's suffering as she witnessed the
birth, ministry and passion of her son brought her into a special relationship with his redemptive
mission. The image of God the Father holding the body of Christ crucified (called the throne of
grace), and the image of Mary holding the body of her son on her lap after he is taken down from
the cross, both responded to a Christian need to create a human entry into meditation on divine
mysteries.

The popularity of this image of Mary with her son, often referred to as a pietá, demonstrates the
strength of such traditions that developed out of popular piety. None of the four Gospels
mentions Mary actually holding the body of her son

The central image of Mary as Queen of Martyrs emphasizes her strength in bearing up under
intense psychological suffering. Mary's fortitude confirms the belief in the power of the Holy
Spirit as comforter of the universal church, Mary in Catholic tradition, is described as seated in
the midst of the Apostles as the fire of the Holy Spirit descended in the first Pentecost. The great
hymn Stabat Mater begins with the lines, Stabat Mater dolorosa / Juxta crucem lacrimosa,
translated into English metrical rhyme as "At the cross her station keeping, stood the mournful
Mother weeping." The central image shows her in her traditional blue garments, holding the
crown of thorns and a scroll inscribed INRI, which is an abbreviation of the Latin sign placed on
Christ's cross: "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews." To the right an angel approaches with a
crown. To the left is a heart pierced by seven swords representing the Seven Sorrows of the
Virgin. This rhetorical symbol is developed from the prophecy of Simeon when Christ was
presented in the Temple. The prophet turned to Mary, saying, "and you yourself shall be pierced
with a sword" (Luke 2:35)