The Month of Mary Allsaintsny.net May, 2021 WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT THE LIFE OF MARY? Mary was born into a devout Jewish family in Galilee when it was part of the ancient Roman Empire. Her parents were St. Joachim and St. Anne. They dedicated her to God in a Jewish temple when she was three years old. By the time Mary was about 13 years old, historians believe, she was engaged to Joseph, a devout Jewish man. It was during Mary’s engagement that she learned through an angelic visitation of the plans God had for her to serve as Jesus Christ's mother on Earth. Mary responded with faithful obedience to God’s plan, despite the personal challenges that it presented to her. When Mary’s cousin Elizabeth (mother of John the Baptist) praised Mary for her faith, Mary gave a speech that has become a famous song sung in worship services, The Magnificat, which the Bible records in Luke 1:46-55: “And Mary said: ‘My soul glorifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, for the Mighty One has done great things for me -- holy is his name. His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.’” The Bible records many instances of Mary with Jesus Christ during his lifetime, including a time when she and Joseph lost track of him and found Jesus teaching people in a temple when he was 12 OFFICEyears HOURS old (Luke 2), and when wine ran out at a wedding, and she asked her Mon-Thurs 9:30 am-3 pm son to turn water into wine to help out the host (John 2). Mary was near the cross as Jesus died on it WEEKDAYfor the MASSES sins of the world (John 19). Immediately after Jesus' resurrection Mondayand ascension thru Friday into heaven, the Bible mentions in Acts 1:14 that Mary prayed Except along withthe the 4th apostles Friday of andthe Month others. St. Peter’s Church @ 8:45 Before Jesus Christ died on the cross, he asked the apostle John to take care of Mary for the rest of her life. Many historians believe that Mary later moved to the ancient city of Ephesus (which is now part of Turkey) along with John, and ended her earthly life there. MAY 1 Our Lady Queen of the May When we think of devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary during the month of May, we can be celebrated every day. When you hear “On This Day O Beautiful Mother,” it reminds us of the many wonderful things: the ceremonies that surround a May crowning, the beautiful statue displayed in church of the Blessed Mother with the brightest of spring flowers at her feet, saying the Rosary, and so much more. May 1st celebrates all that is the life, the spirit, the soul, the beauty of the Blessed Virgin Mary: Our Lady Queen of the May. MAY 2 - Our Lady of Oviedo (Spain) In the 8th century, during the battle of Guadalete in Spain, the Visigoths of Hispania, under their king, found themselves gravely outnumbered. As they were able to retreat and get away, they moved to the mountains near Oviedo. A not-so-honorable soldier was to be disciplined, He ran away finding a safe place to stay in a cave on Mt. Auseba. A hermit came out of the cave and said, “This cave is the dwelling place of the Most Holy Mother of God.” Placing himself in the hands of Our Lady, he prayed for her help and guidance. Fighting in Spain continued; this soldier valiantly fought and always returned to, and remained faithful to, Our Lady in Oviedo. When the Moors were finally defeated, he knelt before the image of Mary, announcing that she was the Virgin Patroness of his army and all Spain. The Blessed Virgin is venerated at Covadonga, a village in the Cantabrian Mountains of Asturia, Spain. May 3 – Our Lady of Jasna Gora / Czestochowais (Poland) During the Hussite persecution of the 14th century, heretics attacked the monastery. They tried to steal the statue, putting on a wagon that couldn’t carry it. An angry soldier drew his sword, striking our Lady’s cheek twice. As he tried to hit her again, he dropped dead. The other soldiers fled. Under King Ladislaus II, he commissioned it to be restored, but the sword marks couldn’t be repaired no matter what was done to try. From that time forward, the people of Poland knew that she was a symbol of their faith and hope. She is also known as the Black Madonna of Czestochowais. The original image is housed at the monastery there and bears the title, Our Lady of the Bright Hill / Jasna Gora. She is the Patroness and Protectress of the Poles. May 4 – Our Lady of Quick Help As we understand the story, a Russian artist was staying at a hotel in Ireland where he found that he had not enough money to pay his bill. So he satisfied his bill with payment to a woman, of a Russian icon of Our Lady and Jesus. After she passed away her nephew gave the icon the parish priest. He didn’t feel the need to keep it so he gave it to a dentist friend who kept it in his office. In 1943 a Jesuit scientist went to examine it and discovered it to be over 300 years old, telling this to the priest who didn’t keep it. The priest was then given the opportunity to take the icon and share it in conversations everywhere. The Russian inscription on the original icon translates to “Our Lady of quick Help, pray for us.” (The right hand of Jesus points to His Mother suggesting “You want help quickly? Ask My Mother. She is the Help of the afflicted, the help of Christians.” May 5 – Queen of the Apostles The apostles understood better than anyone else the great privileges of Mary. They realized her sanctity; they recognized her virtues; they knew how she had cooperated in the work of redemption; they knew how Jesus loved her. During the public life of Christ they were closely associated with the Blessed Mother. They were with her through the suffering of our Lord. With Mary they persevered in prayer in the upper room, waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit. During this long association, even before the death and resurrection of Jesus, the apostles came to know her as their Queen and Mother. This feast is observed in Pallotine Redemptorist churches. The Pallotines are a Society of Apostolic Life within the Roman Catholic Church, founded in 1835 by the Roman priest Saint Vincent Pallotti. They are part of the Union of Catholic Apostolate and are present in 45 countries on six continents. The Pallottines administer one of the largest churches in the world, the Basilica of Our Lady of Peace of Yamoussoukro in Côte d'Ivoire, on the Ivory Coast. May 6 – Our Lady of Charity or Our Lady of Miracles According to various traditions, the Saint Andrea de Aquarizariis church was built because of an incident where a drunken soldier had stabbed a statue of the Madonna in the breast, then the statue started bleeding as if it were alive. There is also another legend that maybe a stone was thrown at the statue that now sits above the high altar in the church of Our Lady of Peace, subsequently started bleeding. Whatever the believe, the church was in built on the foundation of the Saint Andrea de Aquarizariis church. The venerated painting of Our Lady of Miracles shows our Lady holding Jesus. This is now hanging over the high altar of Our Lady of Peace or Santa Maria della Pace, in Rome near Piazza Navona. May 7 – The Seven Joys of Our Lady There is almost no one singular picture that can depict today’s feast day of Our Lady. It has to be a beautiful compilation of those joyful moments. But what brought us this feast was the enthusiasm of the Franciscans, especially from the efforts of St Bernadine of Siena, Italy, St. John Capistrano, from Germany and Blessed Gabriel Mary from France. Canadian devotion to the Seven Joys of Mary has a rosary known as the Franciscan Crown or Seraphic Rosary, May 8 – Our Lady of Pompeii Most celebrations for Our Lady are centuries old. This one is not – it is less than 100 years old. Near the end of the 1800’s the Valley of Pompeii, near Naples, had very few people living there and most, lost their faith and and belief in God. Most had become superstitious of any faith. In 1872, the husband of a countess, who had property there, arrived to assess its value. He was raised Catholic, but was not very devout. Walking along an empty road a voice suddenly spoke to him. It told him that if he wished to be saved, he should spread devotion to the Rosary and that the Blessed Virgin had promised, that was the way to find salvation.