Mother Mary

Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God".

Mary is the mother of Jesus of Nazareth in Christian and Islamic scriptures. Catholicism and some other Christian traditions honor her as a special saint, the "blessed virgin," who hears and acts upon prayers.

 Bible stories in the books of Matthew and Luke tell of the angel Gabriel, announcing to Mary that the Holy Spirit will "overshadow" her and she will bear a holy child while still a virgin.

Her fiancee, Joseph, decides at an angel's prompting not to break the engagement and marries the pregnant Mary

 

She gives birth to Jesus in a stable in Bethlehem, near Jerusalem. Mary follows Jesus during his adult ministry and is present at his crucifixion..

In Christianity, Jesus is called the Son of God, divine as well as human.

The Blessed Virgin Mary is a model of Love and Mercy, who intercedes with her Son Jesus for us, her children on earth.  

Mother Mary is an inspiration for today's Mother.

Roman Catholic veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary is based on Holy Scripture: In the fullness of time, God sent his son, born of a virgin. The mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God through Mary thus signifies her honor as Mother of God. From the Council of Ephesus in 431, which dogmatized this belief, to Vatican II and Pope John Paul II's Redemptoris Mater encyclical the Virgin Mary has come to be seen, not only as the Mother of God but also as the Mother of the Church.

As the mother of Jesus Christ, Mary has a central role in the life of the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic veneration of her as the Blessed Virgin Mary has grown over time both in importance and manifestation, not only in prayer but in art, poetry and music. Popes have encouraged this veneration but from time to time have also taken steps to reform it. Overall, there are significantly more titles, feasts and venerative Marian practices among Roman Catholics than any other Christians traditions.

The key role of the Virgin Mary in Roman Catholic beliefs, her veneration, and the growth of Roman Catholic Mariology have not only come about by official statements made in Rome but have often been driven from the ground up, by the Marian writings of the saints and from the masses of believers, and at times via reported Marian apparitions to young and simple children on remote hilltops, which have then influenced the higher levels of the Holy See via sensus fidei.

The Holy See continues to approve of Marian apparitions on remote mountains, the latest approval being as recent as May 2008. Some apparitions such as Fatima have given rise to Marian Movements and Societies with millions of members, and many other Marian societies exist around the world.

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