Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe*

– December 12th

On December 9th, A.D. 1531, the Blessed Virgin appeared on one of the hills of the Guadalupe range, Tepeyac Hill, to Juan Diego, a Mexican Indian. Our Lady told him to build a chapel in her honor on the place of her apparition, and left him with a picture of herself impressed upon his mantle, and caused a miraculous spring to arise, in the waters of which many people were cured. The Sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the most celebrated places of pilgrimage in the New World.

*The faithful who shall devoutly visit a church where the picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe is exposed, can gain: Indulgence of 300 days, once a day.-Indulgence of 7 years on the 12th of each month.-Plenary, on the Feast of the Motherhood of our Blessed Virgin Mary, on the last Sunday after Pentecost and on the 12th of December, when they shall confess and receive Holy Communion and shall pray for the intentions of His Holiness.

The Immaculate Conception

The Immaculate Conception

– December 8th

Adam and Eve were our first parents, and because they offended God by sinning grievously, every baby born into the world has original sin on his soul. We are all children of Adam, and so we all inherit his sin, which is called original sin.

But the Blessed Virgin Mary was given the marvelous privilege of being conceived without original sin. Our Lady was to crush the devil’s head, as God told Adam and Eve, and so, not for one second was the Evil One to have any power over Mary! There was never the slightest stain of sin in our all-beautiful Mother. That is why on of the Church’s favorite hymns to Mary is: “You are all-beautiful, O Mary, and there is no stain of sin in you!”


This great privilege of Our Lady is called her Immaculate Conception. It was given her because she was to be God’s own Mother. Four years after Pope Pius IX proclaimed to the whole world that there was no doubt at all that Mary was conceived without sin, she appeared to Bernadette at Lourdes. When Bernadette asked the lovely Lady from Heaven who she was, Mary joined her hands and, humbly raising her eyes toward the skies, she said, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”


I will be devoted to the Immaculate Conception. To obtain her protection, I will acquire the beautiful habit of reciting three Hail Marys every morning and night.

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

– November 21st

When she was only three years old, the Blessed Virgin Mary was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem by her holy parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne. Mary’s whole life was to belong to God because He had chosen her to be the Mother of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.


The Blessed Virgin was happy to begin serving God in the Temple of Jerusalem, even though she had to leave her dear father and mother. And St. Joachim and St. Anne were content to offer their saintly little girl to God, for they knew that He had sent her to them.


In the Temple, the High Priest received the child Mary among the maidens who were dedicated to prayer and the service of the Temple. He kissed and blessed the holy child, seeing that the Lord had great plans for her. Then he set her down upon the altar step. Mary did not weep or turn back to her parents. She came so happily to the altar that everyone in the Temple loved her at once.


St. Joachim and St. Anne went back home, praising God for their blessed daughter. And Mary remained in the Temple, where she grew more beautiful and holy every year. She spent her days in loving God, reading the Bible, praying and serving the priests of the Temple. She made beautiful linens and splendid vestments, and was loved by all the other young girls because she was so kind. In doing each of her duties well, to please God, the Blessed Virgin Mary gained immense grace and gave great glory to the Lord.


Every morning I will offer myself to God with my whole heart.

The Holy Rosary

The Holy Rosary

– October 7th

It was St. Dominic who urged everyone to say the beautiful prayer of the Holy Rosary. St. Dominic was greatly saddened by the spread of a terrible heresy called Albigensianism, and with the members of his new Order of Preachers, he was trying his best to destroy this dangerous heresy. He begged the Blessed Virgin for help, and it is said that she told him to preach devotion to the Holy Rosary. St. Dominic obeyed, and he was very successful in stopping the heresy with this wonderful, holy weapon.

The Hoy Rosary is a simple devotion which can be practiced by all people-old and young, learned and unlearned. It can be said anywhere at any time. While we say the Our Father, Hail Marys and the Glory Be to the Father, we think about different great moments in the lives of Jesus and Mary. In this way, we grow closer and closer to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother and we learn to imitate their holy lives.

Mary is very pleased when we say the Holy Rosary often and well. She used to say it with St. Bernadette when she appeared to her at Lourdes, and the three little children of Fatima learned from Our Lady how powerful the Holy Rosary is to obtain all graces and save sinners from hell.

Let us acquire the beautiful habit of saying the Rosary every day. “Those who love the Blessed Mother will be saved, and those who love her much will become saints,” a great Saint once said.

Seven sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Seven sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary

– September 15th

Our Lady had many great joys as the Mother of Jesus, but she had much to suffer, too. It was her immense love for her Divine Son that caused Mary to suffer when she saw Jesus treated cruelly by His enemies. Mary is the Queen of Martyrs because she went through spiritual torments greater than the bodily agonies of the martyrs. Her heart was like an altar when on Calvary she offered up her beloved Jesus to save us. What a terrible suffering it was for so loving a Mother to see her Son, Who was God, die on the Cross!



There are seven times of great suffering in Our Blessed Mother’s life. The first was when she took Baby Jesus to the Temple and the Prophet Simeon told her that a sword would pierce her heart when Jesus was put to death. Her second sorrow was when she and St. Joseph had to flee to Egypt with Jesus, so Herod’s soldiers would not kill Him. The third suffering came when Mary searched three days for Jesus in Jerusalem before finding Him in the Temple. Our Lady’s fourth sorrow was when Jesus was whipped and crowned with thorns. Her fifth great pain was caused by His being lifted on the cross, where He died after three hours of agony. Mary’s sixth sorrow was the moment when Our Lord’s sacred Body was placed in her arms. And her seventh suffering came when He was buried in the sepulcher.



Our Blessed Mother did not pity herself or complain because she had to suffer so much during her life. Instead, she offered her sorrows to God for our sakes. She is our Mother and because she loves us dearly, she was happy to suffer that we might some day share her joy with Jesus in Heaven.



In honor of Our Lady of Sorrows, today I will offer up a little sacrifice without complaining, and without letting everybody know about it.

The Holy Name of Mary

The Holy Name of Mary

– September 12th

The great Christian city of Vienna was being attacked by the Turks, who were trying to destroy the religion of Jesus. The Turks had such a powerful army that Vienna was almost ready to surrender. It was then that the King of Poland, the famous John Sobieski, went to help the Christians of Vienna. He knew that if the Turks took Vienna, they would then pour into all of Europe to wipe out Christianity.


Before the battle, King John placed himself and his troops under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. He begged her help and served Mass in a monastery nearby, while all his soldiers knelt in prayer. Then the commanding officer gave the signal for attack and the battle began. In no time, the Turks were put to flight, and the Christians had won a great victory!


In thanksgiving for this marvelous event, King John sent the conquered flag of the Turks to Rome, as a sign of homage to Mary. Pope Innocent XI showed the gratitude of all Christians to Our Lady by extending the celebration of the Feast of her Holy Name to the whole Church.


Mary’s name was given her by God. He Himself told her parents, St. Joachim and St. Anne, to call her Mary. The name “Mary” means “lady” or “queen.” It also means “star of the sea.” What beautiful meanings! How perfect this name is for our Blessed Mother! She is truly our loving Queen and our Star. She will show us the way to reach the blessed kingdom of heaven.


Today I will invoke the most holy Name of Mary every time I feel tempted to do something wrong.

The Nativity of Mary

The Nativity of Mary

– September 8th

We do not usually celebrate the birthdays of the saints. Instead we celebrated the day they died, because that is the day they are born into the joys of Heaven.


But the birthday of Mary, our Blessed Mother, is an exception. We do celebrate her birthday because she came into this world full of grace, and because she was to be the Mother of Jesus.


When Mary was born, legions of angels hastened from Heaven to surround her little crib and exclaim over her beauty and holiness. The birth of Our Lady was like the dawn. When the sky starts to turn a rosy pink early in the morning, we know the sun will soon come up. In the same way, when Mary was born, she brought great happiness to the world, for it meant that soon Jesus, the Sun of justice, would appear. Mary was the wonderful creature whose privilege it was to bring the Lord Jesus to all mankind.


Even today, if we have Mary, we have Jesus. Whoever is very devoted to her is very close to the Heart of Jesus.


Do we want to offer a gift to Mary on her birthday? What pleases her most is that we avoid sin, every kind of sin, because sin offends her Son Jesus.

The Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Immaculate Heart of Mary

- August 22nd

The Heart of Our Blessed Mother was not only one full of love for God and for neighbor.


It was the most humble and pure, the most devout and fervent in prayer.


It was the bravest heart, and even during her Son’s passion she never gave in to discouragement.


It was the most patient and most faithful heart. It was the one which was always united to God in intimate contemplation and at the same time had charity for all. It was the heart of the Mother of Jesus, and because of this, it was in all things like the heart of her Divine Son. Like Jesus and with Him, Mary loved and suffered in her heart for the salvation of all poor sinners.


In the Heart of Our Blessed Mother, as in the Heart of Jesus, there is a most ardent desire to save souls from Hell and from Purgatory. Mary prays continually to her Son for our salvation. She knows that Jesus came on earth especially for sinners. She does not forget that when He was dying, He made her the Mother of us all.


In spite of our sins, let us look up to our Blessed Mother and let us have confidence in her motherly heart. Then, even if we are sad or upset, we will feel peaceful and happy again.

The Assumption of Mary into Heaven

The Assumption of Mary into Heaven

- August 15th

Assumption means that Our heavenly Mother entered into the glory of Heaven not only with her soul, but also with her body. Since the Son of God took His body from Mary’s most pure womb, it was fitting that her body should be glorified as soon as her life here on earth was ended.

Now Our Blessed Mother sits on a sublime throne in Heaven. There she is Queen, and every time she asks Jesus to give us graces, He listens to her plea.


After the resurrection from the dead, we, too, will go to Heaven with this body of ours, if we use it now only to do good, and if we are pure in thoughts, words and deeds.


After the resurrection our body will be all perfect. It will not be subject to illness any more. It will not need any more food and drink to keep alive. It will be able to go every place without time or effort. It will be beautiful and splendid!


Let us prepare for our glory in heaven by imitating Our Blessed Mother’s virtues, especially obedience, charity, purity and patience.

Our Lady of the Snow

Our Lady of the Snow - August 5th

In the city of Rome there lived a holy nobleman named John. He and his good wife Mary were very devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since they had no children, they asked Our Lady in fervent prayer to let them know what good deeds they should perform with their great fortune. The Blessed Mother answered their prayer in a marvelous way.

On August 5th, when it is very hot in Rome, they both dreamed that she told them to build a church in her honor on the spot they would find covered with snow! John told Pope Liberius about this dream, and to his surprise, he learned that the Holy Father had had the very same dream! Pope Liberius went to the spot on the Esquiline Hill where the snow lay, and traced out a plan for the new church, which became the most famous church of Mary in all the world.

This church has been called the Liberian Basilica (after the Pope), and St. Mary of the Snow, because of the miracle. After a relic of the crib in which Jesus was born was brought to this church, it was called St. Mary of the Crib, too. Today, we call it St. Mary Major, to show that it is the major church of Our Lady.

Many great Saints, such as St. Stanislaus Kostka and St. Aloysius, loved to pray in the Church of St. Mary Major. One of the oldest pictures of Our Lady is venerated there. This picture, which people say was painted by St. Luke, was carried from the church in procession by the Pope when a terrible sickness was killing the people of Rome. Everyone begged Mary to stop this plague and their prayers were answered.

Another time, with this picture from the Church of St. Mary Major, the Pope blessed homes that were on fire, and the fire stopped by a miracle. These are just a few of the many wonderful graces the Blessed Mother had granted to those who turn to her with faith and love.

Let us purify our souls well with the Sacrament of Confession. Only in this way can we hope to receive all the graces from our Blessed Mother.

St. Anne

St. Anne - Patroness of Canada, of Cabinet-Makers and of Housewives - July 26th

St. Anne is the grandmother of Our Lord and the mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She and her husband, St. Joachim, had spent their lives in worshipping God and doing good, but they had one great sorrow: God had not sent them any children. For years and years, Anne begged the Lord to give her a child, and she promised to consecrate it to Him if He would. When she was already old, God answered her prayer in a far better way than she could ever have dreamed.

For the child born to St. Anne was the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the holiest of all women, the one who was to become the Mother of God. Anne took tender care of little Mary for a few years and then gave her to the service of God, as she had promised she would.

After Mary had gone to live in the holy Temple at Jerusalem, St. Anne continued her life of prayer until God called her to Heaven. Knowing what a great Saint she is, Christians have always been devoted to St. Anne, and have built beautiful churches in her honor. Perhaps one of the most famous is the shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre in Canada, where great crowds go to ask her help in their sufferings.

St. Anne is a great saint because even though it cost her great pain, she gave Mary to God. If you feel the divine call, pray to St. Anne. She will help you to follow it, despite many difficulties.

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

Our Lady of Mount Carmel

- July 16th

Mt. Carmel is a mountain in Palestine. It became famous when the prophet Elias, who lived before Our Lord was born, worked a great miracle there. For many years there had been no rain in that land, and everything was dying. Elias went up Mt. Carmel to beg the Lord to send the rain, and his prayer was answered.


Much later, after Pentecost, some of the Jews who had become Christians decided to build a shrine on Mt. Carmel in honor of Mary, the Mother of God. There, several times a day, they went to pray together. For this reason the people started to call them “friars of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel.” This was the way the Carmelite Order was begun.


Many, many years later, St. Simon Stock, an Englishmen, became Superior of all the Carmelites. Since they were bring persecuted, he prayed with great confidence to Our Lady. In her goodness, she appeared to St. Simon and gave him the brown scapular, promising her protection to all those who would wear the blessed habit. Many miracles proved her words.


St. Pius X said that the same blessings could be had by wearing the scapular medal, which has a picture of Our Lady of the Scapular on one side and the Sacred Heart on the other.


Let us wear the holy scapular or medal. We will be protected by Our Lady in life and helped by her in death. And after death, she will bring us to Heaven.

St. John the Baptist

St. John the Baptist - June 24th

John’s parents were Zachary and Elizabeth. Elizabeth was a cousin of Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Mary went to visit and help when Elizabeth was old and about to become the mother. When they met, Jesus Who was within Mary, sanctified John, who was not yet born.

At the birth of St. John, his father gave him the name John, as the angel had commanded. John’s mission was to prepare the way for the coming of Jesus. So when he was still a young boy he went into the desert to prepare himself with silence, prayer and penance. Soon crowds started to come to him. He warned them to be sorry for their sins, and to change their lives, he gave them the baptism of repentance. One day, Our Lord Himself came. He wanted to be baptized by St. John to begin making reparation for our sins. On that day, John said to his disciples that Jesus was the Messias for whom they had been waiting. He told them and everyone else to follow Him.
Later on, St. John learned that King Herod had married a woman who already had a husband and a daughter. This king was the son of the King Herod who murdered all those little boys in Bethlehem. St. john told him that it was wrong of him to live with that woman. For this, he was put in prison. He remained a prisoner until Herod had his head cut off to please the daughter of his sinful wife.

St. John’s motto was, “Jesus must become more and more, and I must become less and less.”

We must remember that God is everything and we are nothing. Let us learn from St. John not to look for praise and admiration, but to do everything for the glory of God.

Our Lady of Good Counsel

Our Lady of Good Counsel

- April 26th

Good Counsel means “good advice.” The beautiful devotion of Our Lady of Good Counsel goes way back to the year 1467. Even before then, Christians had prayed to our Blessed Mother for her help and advice when they were in doubt. But devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel really spread everywhere when on April 25, 1467, a most beautiful picture of her appeared in the old Church of Santa Maria at Genazzano, Italy. It was a small picture but the wonderful thing about it was that it stayed right in mid-air, without being held up by anything! At once people began to come from all over to visit the Church of Santa Maria.


Many miracles happened and are still happening at this shrine of Mary. Bishops and even Popes have had great devotion to Our Lady of Good Counsel. One Pope had her holy picture crowned with gold. There are also many churches named for Our Lady of Good Counsel.


When we have a problem, who can give us better advice than our own good Mother Mary? Let us always pray to Our Lady of Good Counsel to ask her help.

Blessed Mary of the Incarnation

Blessed Mary of the Incarnation - April 18th

Beautiful Barbara Acarie was a French girl who was married when she was seventeen. God sent her six children, and her home was a happy one. She was a very good wife and mother. All her children, her husband, and her servants, too, learned from her a great love for prayer and works of charity.

Once, when her husband was accused of a crime, Barbara herself saved him. She went to court, and all alone proved that he was not guilty.

Although she was so busy with her own family, she always found time to feed starving people, to teach heretics about the faith, to help the sick and dying, and to encourage sinners to change their ways.

When her husband died, Barbara entered the Carmelite Order. Her three daughters were Carmelites, too. Barbara’s new name as a sister was Sister Mary of the Incarnation. She joyfully worked in the kitchen among the pots and pans. When her own daughter became a superior, Blessed Mary willingly obeyed her. So humble was she that as she was dying, she said: “The Lord forgive me the bad example I have given.” But the truth was that she had only done good all her life.

God gives everyone the grace to become a saint in his state in life. Let us, then, pray so that we will do in life what god wants us to do.

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - March 25th

When the time came for Our Savior to come down from Heaven, God sent St. Gabriel to the little town of Nazareth, where the Blessed Virgin Mary lived. The glorious Archangel entered Mary’s little house and found her praying.
“Hail Mary, full of graces!” said the Angel. “The Lord is with you, and you are blessed among women.” Mary was surprised to hear the angel’s words of praise.

“Do not be afraid, Mary,” said St. Gabriel. Then he told her that she was to be the Mother of Jesus our Savior. Mary understood what great honor God was giving her. Yet she said, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord!” At that very moment, she became the Mother of God. And still she called herself His handmaid-His servant!

Mary knew, too, that as the Mother of Jesus, she would have many sorrows. She knew she would have to suffer when her Son suffered. Yet, with all her heart, she said, “Be it done to me according to your word.”

On this occasion, our Blessed Mother gave us a wonderful example of humility and obedience. Let us, too, show God our love by obeying those who represent Him-our parents and teachers.

St. Joseph

St. Joseph - Patron of Universal Church and of Working Men - March 19th

St. Joseph is a great saint, the foster-father of Jesus Christ, and the husband of the Blessed Mother. He was given the great privilege of taking care of God’s Son, Jesus, and His Mother, Mary. Joseph was poor all his life, even though he came from a family of kings. He has to work very hard in his carpenter shop, but he did not mind. He was happy to work for his little family, the holiest family there ever was.

Whatever the Lord wanted him to do, St. Joseph did at once, no matter how hard it was. He was humble and pure; he was gentle and wise. Jesus and Mary obeyed his perfectly. What an honor for St. Joseph to see the Son of God Himself obeying him and helping him, as a good son!

St. Teresa chose St. Joseph as the protector of her Order of Sisters. She had great trust in his prayers. "Every time I ask St. Joseph for something," she said, "he always obtains it for me."

As Jesus obeyed and helped St. Joseph in his hard and humble work, let us, too, willingly help our parents with the work to be done at home.

Our Lady of Lourdes

Our Lady of Lourdes - February 11th


It was on February 11, 1858, that the Blessed Mother first appeared to Bernadette Soubirous, a young girl of Lourdes, France. Bernadette was a sickly, little girl, whose family was so poor they lived in a cellar that had once been a jail. Even though she was fourteen years old, Bernadette could not read or write. She never could remember her catechism lessons, but she was a good girl who loved God very much. And even if her memory was bad, she kept trying hard to learn all she could about God. She was pure and obedient, too. It was to this young girl that our Blessed Mother appeared. The beautiful Lady Bernadette saw wore a white dress with a light blue sash. A white veil covered her head and fell over her shoulders to the ground. On her feet were two lovely golden roses. Her hands were joined and a Rosary hung from her right arm. Its chain and cross shone like gold. The lovely Lady encouraged Bernadette to say the Rosary.


The Blessed Mother appeared eighteen times to St. Bernadette and told her to tell the people to pray, to do penance and often to recite the Rosary for sinners. During the last apparition, Bernadette asked the beautiful Lady who she was. The Lady replied, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”


At Lourdes, miracles take place. Many people are cured of sicknesses. Crippled people walk again. Blind people see again. There, where she once appeared to St. Bernadette, Our Lady still shows her love for us.


Let us try to say the Rosary to our Blessed Mother every day. Through this prayer, we receive al the graces we need for ourselves and for those we love.

Purification of the Blessed Virgin

Purification of the Blessed Virgin - February 2nd


Forty days after Jesus was born, Mary and Joseph brought Him to the Temple to be Presented to the Lord; that was the Law of God and they obeyed it perfectly.


While they were in the Temple, Mary also fulfilled another ceremony of the Hebrew Law. After the birth of their children, all mothers were suppose to go to the Temple for the ceremony called the Purification. Our Blessed Mother really did not have to fulfill this ceremony, because she was all pure. She went anyway, to teach us to be humble and obedient.


A holy old priest of the Temple named Simeon learned from God that the Infant Jesus was the Savior. With what joy he held Mary’s Son in his arms! Then inspired by God, he told her that she would have to suffer much. He was talking about the terrible pain our Blessed Mother would feel when Jesus died on the Cross.


The Feast of the Presentation and the Purification remind us that we belong to God, first of all. Because He is our Father and Creator, we owe Him our loving obedience.


In imitation of the Blessed Mother, let us cheerfully obey the rules laid down by our parents and teachers.