Welcome to the Wedding of the Sea in Atlantic City.
Virgin Mary
Posted inFaith, The Good Word
How death became impossible for the Virgin Mary
A Homily for the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Father Terrance Klein
Posted inFaith, News
Pope Francis marks feast day associated with his favorite basilica: St. Mary Major
Celebrating Mass for the feast of Our Lady of the Snows at Rome’s Basilica of St. Mary Major, Pope Francis urged Catholics to remember the unexpected beauty of God’s grace.
Posted inFaith, News
Doctrine chief: Vatican approval of apparitions will now be rare—but ‘one will come out in the next days’
Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández declared that the Vatican will only validate reports of Marian apparitions in “exceptional” cases that incur the special interest of the pope.
Posted inFaith, News
Vatican publishes 1974 decision denying alleged ‘co-redemptrix’ Marian apparitions
The Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith revealed a 1974 ruling surrounding alleged Marian apparitions that took place in Amsterdam in the mid-20th century, declaring they were found to not be supernatural following “persistent doubts” surrounding them.
Posted inArts & Culture, News
Vandals behead a controversial sculpture of Mary giving birth to Jesus in an Austrian cathedral
A statue of Mary giving birth to Jesus was beheaded by an anonymous group of vandals, garnering support from traditionalist Catholics who have criticized the statue’s depictions.
Posted inArts & Culture, Ideas
From the Black Madonna to Our Lady of Lourdes, we see Mary in our own image
Whether in the Middle Ages or a modern Marian renaissance, how Mary looks can reflect and affirm the people she appears to.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Citing social media and abuses, Vatican updates norms for approving apparitions and visions
Today’s text from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith makes clear that henceforth, as a rule, the Holy See will not declare any alleged spiritual phenomenon, such as an apparition, as authentic‚ that is, “of divine origin.”
Posted inExplainer, Faith
Why supernatural apparitions are a mixed blessing for the Vatican
For every Fátima, there are dozens of unverified reports of divine messages, “weeping” statues, healing relics and prophetic revelations that have vexed church authorities and challenged the Vatican’s ability to track and verify such events.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
You don’t have to believe in Marian apparitions. But I do.
“You do not have to believe in Marian apparitions to be a good Catholic,” Father James Martin writes. “But I do. I’ve never had a problem believing in them.”