Long time readers will know that typically every Lent I try to challenge myself with some extreme diet or mortification, then spend several weeks writing about how I’m such a lousy Catholic because I can’t do this crazy, self imposed fast/diet/penance. This year, as Lent approached, I got antsy. I didn’t know what I wanted…
Last week during one of my many scrolls through Facebook I came across an older article shared by a friend that talked about “finding God by welcoming the disabled”. A quote she shared from the article caught my eye and has stuck with me since. “So whether it is the disabled, the unborn, the elderly,…
Today begins the #sackclothandashes campaign founded by my good friends Kendra and Bonnie. I invite you to join along with us for 40 days of fasting and prayer in reparation for the sins committed against the faithful of the Church by those who should have been leading it. While it would be easy to…
Our Lady Queen of ChinaApparition of Our Lady which appeared in Dong Lu, China during the Boxer Rebellion, April 1900 The Boxer Rebellion was an anti-colonial, anti-foreign, anti-Christian uprising that took place from 1899 to 1901 in China. During this time, many Christians were killed and in April of 1900, 10,000 soldiers attacked the Catholic…
Our Lady of Africa Title given to a miraculous bronze statue of Our Lady, housed in the Basilique Notre Dame d’Afrique in Algiers, Algeria In the time of Constantine, northern Africa was Christianized along with the rest of the Roman Empire. St. Augustine was from this area. In time, this land fell under Muslim control and it…
Our Lady of Altotting (sometimes spelled Altoetting) Miraculous Black Madonna statue placed in the Chapel of Grace, Altotting, Germany in 1330 The Chapel of Grace in Altotting, marks the spot where St. Rupert baptized the first Christian Duke of Bavaria. An octogonal baptismal chapel was built to commemorate the event. Although the original chapel was destroyed, the…
Our Lady of Mariazell, Austria In 1157 Our Lady dramatically answered the prayer of a Benedictine monk named Magnus by splitting a huge rock formation in two. While walking through the forest of what’s now Austria, a Benedictine monk named Magnus sought the perfect location for his hermitage. He came upon a rock formation too…
Our Lady of Le Puy en Velay Apparition which appeared twice in Haute-Loire, France Around 250, Our Lady appeared to a sick, recently converted Christian woman in Velay, now part of modern France, and told her to visit Mount Anis and lay on a large flagstone. She did this, and upon arising was found to be…
Our Lady of the Conception Aparecida, or simply Our Lady of Aparecida Miraculous statue venerated in Brazil, originally fished out of the water in 1717. Three fisherman from the small town of Guarantinqueta had been charged with the task of catching a large number of fish for an upcoming banquet. Before setting out on their…
Yes, I’m a bit behind, and maybe you’ve noticed I’m backdating these posts….don’t judge me! We’ll continue our travels with Mary and hit 31 days one way or another! Our Lady of Ocotlan Apparition of Our Lady that appeared in Tiaxcala, Mexico in 1541 Many Catholics are familiar with Our Lady of…
Our Lady of Good Success, Ecuador Apparition of Our Lady that appeared to Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres at her Conceptionist Royal Convent in Quito, Ecuador in 1594 In 1577, 13-year-old Mariana de Jesus Torres traveled from Spain to Ecuador with a group of religious sisters to found a new convent in Quito. By the…
If you’re still with me on this cross-cultural Marian adventure, you deserve a bonus! Just pretend it’s a song about Mary…in some way or another. Our Lady of La Vang, Vietnam Apparitions that occurred in the woods of Quang Tri, Vietnam in 1798 to Catholics hiding from persecution. In 1798, the Nguyen Dynasty which ruled the…
Our Lady of Walsingham Apparition of Our Lady that appeared and asked for a replica of the Holy Family’s house to be built in Walsingham, England Feast Day, September 24 In 1061, Richeldis de Faverches a rich young widow, prayed for guidance in how she might honor Our Lady. Mary appeared to Faverches and took…