History of the Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary in North America


Book Description

"Catholic literature in this country is not yet rich in works of a historical character; and though not a few have appeared evincing great research, and worthy of a high place, there was still wanting a popular element which genius alone could supply by lending its charm to the often dry details of the historian. The devotion to the Blessed Virgin in this country, from its settlement to the present day, was a theme which had been briefly touched upon by one or two writers. Still, it was a field which the late lamented author of the following pages entered with all the zeal and devotion of his arden[t] and impassioned character, and as a necessary consequence he gave his work the stamp of his particular genius. Few more gifted writers have appeared among us than Xavier Donald Macleod; and in undertaking his work, material was contributed by his numerous friends. The writer of this, one who had enjoyed that friendship from boyhood, rejoicing to see him about to take up a subject so worthy of his talents, furnished him an abundant material which he had collected, and feels now, perhaps too great a pleasure in his privilege in having contributed to so noble a work as that here presented to the Catholic public."--




Mary, Mother and Warrior


Book Description

A Mother who nurtures, empathizes, and heals... a Warrior who defends, empowers, and resists oppression... the Virgin Mary plays many roles for the peoples of Spain and Spanish-speaking America. Devotion to the Virgin inspired and sustained medieval and Renaissance Spaniards as they liberated Spain from the Moors and set about the conquest of the New World. Devotion to the Virgin still inspires and sustains millions of believers today throughout the Americas. This wide-ranging and highly readable book explores the veneration of the Virgin Mary in Spain and the Americas from the colonial period to the present. Linda Hall begins the story in Spain and follows it through the conquest and colonization of the New World, with a special focus on Mexico and the Andean highlands in Peru and Bolivia, where Marian devotion became combined with indigenous beliefs and rituals. Moving into the nineteenth century, Hall looks at national cults of the Virgin in Mexico, Bolivia, and Argentina, which were tied to independence movements. In the twentieth century, she examines how Eva Perón linked herself with Mary in the popular imagination; visits contemporary festivals with significant Marian content in Spain, Peru, and Mexico; and considers how Latinos/as in the United States draw on Marian devotion to maintain familial and cultural ties.







The Virgin Mary's Book at the Annunciation


Book Description

An overlooked aspect of the iconography of the Annunciation investigated - Mary's book.




Miraculous Images of Our Lady


Book Description

100 true stories of approved miraculous statues, paintings and images of Our Lady. Spans almost 2,000 years. These images have spoken, brought cures, given off fragrance, wept blood or tears, etc. Includes Our Lady of Guadalupe, Akita, Pompeii, Prompt Succor, Czestochowa, Perpetual Help, Montserrat, etc. Gives renewed confidence in Mary's care for us her children. Great for the entire family!




The Catholic Encyclopedia


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The Miraculous Flying House of Loreto


Book Description

In 1295, a house fell from the evening sky onto an Italian coastal road by the Adriatic Sea. Inside, awestruck locals encountered the Virgin Mary, who explained that this humble mud-brick structure was her original residence newly arrived from Nazareth. To keep it from the hands of Muslim invaders, angels had flown it to Loreto, stopping three times along the way. This story of the house of Loreto has been read as an allegory of how Catholicism spread peacefully around the world by dropping miraculously from the heavens. In this book, Karin Vélez calls that interpretation into question by examining historical accounts of the movement of the Holy House across the Mediterranean in the thirteenth century and the Atlantic in the seventeenth century. These records indicate vast and voluntary involvement in the project of formulating a branch of Catholic devotion. Vélez surveys the efforts of European Jesuits, Slavic migrants, and indigenous peoples in Baja California, Canada, and Peru. These individuals contributed to the expansion of Catholicism by acting as unofficial authors, inadvertent pilgrims, unlicensed architects, unacknowledged artists, and unsolicited cataloguers of Loreto. Their participation in portaging Mary’s house challenges traditional views of Christianity as a prepackaged European export, and instead suggests that Christianity is the cumulative product of thousands of self-appointed editors. Vélez also demonstrates how miracle narratives can be treated seriously as historical sources that preserve traces of real events. Drawing on rich archival materials, The Miraculous Flying House of Loreto illustrates how global Catholicism proliferated through independent initiatives of untrained laymen.




From Judgment to Passion


Book Description

How and why did the images of the crucified Christ and his grieving mother achieve such prominence, inspiring unparalleled religious creativity as well such imitative extremes as celibacy and self-flagellation? To answer this question, Fulton ranges over developments in liturgical performance, private prayer, doctrine, and art.