Our Lady of the Rosary: the feast of October 7 and its history
Our Lady of the Rosary is the title under which the Church venerates Mary as the Mother who teaches us to contemplate Christ through the…
Category: Marian Theology
Mary Help of Christians: the title, the feast of May 24, and Don Bosco
Mary Help of Christians – Our Lady, Help of Christians – is one of the most widespread Marian invocations, especially through the work of Saint…
Our Lady of Nazareth and the Círio de Nazaré
Our Lady of Nazareth is one of the most beloved Marian invocations of the Portuguese-speaking world, and her feast in Belém do Pará – the…
The Guardian Angel: What the Church Teaches
The Guardian Angel is the angel whom God entrusts to each person to protect and guide them throughout life. It is a consoling truth of…
The Mysteries of the Rosary: Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious
The Mysteries of the Rosary are the events of the life of Jesus and of Mary that are contemplated while praying the Rosary. They are…
Saint Michael the Archangel: Who He Is and the Prayer of Leo XIII
Saint Michael the Archangel is the prince of the heavenly hosts and the great defender of the People of God against evil. His name, from…
The Hail Mary: The Text, the Two Parts, and Its Meaning
The Hail Mary is, after the Our Father, the most prayed prayer of the Catholic Church. It is the heart of the Rosary and unites,…
The Month of Mary: Why May Is Dedicated to Our Lady
The Month of Mary is the Catholic tradition of dedicating the whole month of May to the Virgin Mary, with daily devotions, flowers, the Rosary,…
The Litany of Loreto (Litany of Our Lady): Origin and Meaning
The Litany of Loreto (or Litany of Our Lady) is one of the most beloved Marian prayers of the Church: a succession of invocations that…
The Holy Name of Mary: meaning and feast (September 12)
The Holy Name of Mary is the object of its own liturgical feast, celebrated on September 12, four days after the Nativity of Mary. Devotion…
Saint Anne and Saint Joachim: the parents of Mary
Saint Anne and Saint Joachim are, according to the tradition of the Church, the parents of the Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus. Although…
Saint Joseph: spouse of Mary and patron of the Church
Saint Joseph, spouse of the Virgin Mary and legal father of Jesus, is one of the most venerated figures of the Church and its universal…
Mary in the Book of Revelation: the woman clothed with the sun (Rev 12)
Mary in the Book of Revelation is one of the most magnificent pages of Marian Scripture. In chapter 12, Saint John contemplates “a great sign…
Mary and the Holy Spirit: the Annunciation, Pentecost, and the sanctuary of the Spirit
The relationship between Mary and the Holy Spirit lies at the heart of the mystery of the Incarnation: it was by the action of the…
Consecration to Mary: the “Totus Tuus” and true devotion
Consecration to Mary is the total giving of oneself to Jesus Christ through Mary. Far from being a devotion that rivals Christ, it is a…
Mary, the Daughter of Zion: The Biblical Title and Its Meaning
Mary, the Daughter of Zion, is one of the richest biblical titles in Mariology. In Sacred Scripture, “Daughter of Zion” (in Hebrew, Bat-Sion) designates Jerusalem…
The Presentation of Mary in the Temple (November 21)
The Presentation of Mary in the Temple is celebrated on November 21 and recalls the tradition according to which Mary, while still a little girl,…
The Nativity of Mary: The Birth of Our Lady (September 8)
The Nativity of Mary – the birth of Our Lady – is celebrated on September 8 and is one of the oldest Marian feasts. The…
Mary Co-Redemptrix: What the Title Means (and What It Does Not Mean)
Co-Redemptrix is one of the most debated Marian titles: it expresses Mary’s singular cooperation in the work of redemption accomplished by Christ. The prefix “co-”…
Mary, the New Eve: The Eve-Mary Typology in the Fathers of the Church
Mary, the New Eve, is one of the oldest keys for reading the figure of Mary in the Christian tradition. Already in the first centuries,…
Mary at the Foot of the Cross (Jn 19:25-27): “Woman, Behold Your Son”
Mary at the Foot of the Cross (Jn 19:25-27) is one of the densest scenes in the Gospel of Saint John: in the last moments…
The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth (Lk 1:39-56): The Encounter and Its Meaning
The Visitation (Lk 1:39-56) narrates Mary’s journey, right after the Annunciation, to visit her kinswoman Elizabeth, who was expecting John the Baptist. It is one…
The Magnificat: The Canticle of Mary (Lk 1:46-55), Structure and Meaning
The Magnificat is the canticle of praise that Mary sings when she visits her kinswoman Elizabeth (Lk 1:46-55). Beginning with the words “My soul magnifies…
The Annunciation to Mary (Lk 1:26-38): The Text and Its Meaning
The Annunciation to Mary (Lk 1:26-38) is the moment in which the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will be the Mother of the…
The Queenship of Mary: Why Mary Is Queen of Heaven and Earth
The Queenship of Mary – the truth that Mary is Queen of Heaven and Earth – is one of the oldest and most cherished expressions…
Marian Shrines: History, Meaning, and Mission Today
Marian shrines are, throughout the whole history of the Church, privileged places of encounter between faith and culture, between the Church and society. More than…
Mary Mediatrix of All Graces: What the Church Teaches
What Mary Mediatrix of All Graces means: the Catholic doctrine (Lumen Gentium 60-62), its subordination to the one mediation of Christ, and the…
Catacomb of Priscilla: The Oldest Image of Our Lady
In the Catacomb of Priscilla, dug along the Via Salaria in Rome, is found the oldest known image of Our Lady. The frescoes, datable to…
Beata quae credidisti: The Visitation and the Encounter of Hopes
Beata quae credidisti: the Visitation unites Mary and Elizabeth in a living and hopeful faith. Contemplate this Marian mystery at Locus…
Holy Mary, Mother of God
Holy Mary, Mother of God: explore in depth the theological density of Gal 4:4 and the Marian meaning of “born of woman”. Discover this…
First Vatican Council – Constitutio Dei Filius (1870): dogmatic definition on the creation of the angels (Mansi, vols. 49-53).
The Constitutio Dei Filius of the First Vatican Council (April 24, 1870) solemnly confirms the doctrine of the Fourth Lateran Council on the…
Third Lateran Council (1179) – canon 27 against the Cathars and demonic dualism (Mansi vol. 22)
The Third Lateran Council (1179, Alexander III) is the first ecumenical council specifically to condemn the Cathars and their radical demonic…
Second Council of Nicaea (787) – the cult of the images of the angels (Mansi vol. 13)
The Seventh Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (787) dogmatically defined the cult of sacred images, including the images of the angels. Four…
Hippolytus of Rome – Traditio Apostolica (c. 215): the first liturgical document on baptismal exorcisms (Sources Chrétiennes 11 bis)
The Traditio Apostolica of Hippolytus of Rome (c. 215): the first Catholic liturgical document on exorcisms in baptism. French text (Sources…
Origen – Peri Archon I, 5: De contrariis virtutibus (Sources Chrétiennes 252)
The Peri Archon I, 5 of Origen (c. 220-225) on the contrary powers: rebel angels and demons. Rufinus’s Latin text and English translation…
Annales Ecclesiastici (Baronius, 1588-1607) – angelological and demonological references in the history of the Church (years 1-1198)
The Annales Ecclesiastici of Cesare Baronio (1538-1607), in 20 vols. (Theiner, 1864): the first great systematic year-by-year Catholic…
Magnum Bullarium Romanum (Cherubini, 1692) and Bullarium T. XXI – demonological references and angelic peace in the medieval and modern bulls.
Synthesis of the demonological and angelological references in the Magnum Bullarium Romanum (Cherubini Laerzio, 1692, 5 vols) and Bullarium T.…
Pius XI – Litterae Apostolicae on the Vicariate of Kirin (1932): guardian angels as patrons (AAS 24)
Apostolic Letters of Pius XI (January 21, 1932) constituting the Virgin Mary principal patroness and the Holy Guardian Angels secondary patrons…
Sacred Congregation of Rites 1883 – elevation of the feast of the Guardian Angels + votive office of the angels (ASS 16)
Decree of the Sacred Congregation of Rites of July 5, 1883 (approved by Leo XIII): elevation of the feast of the Guardian Angels from duplex…
Leo XIII – Exorcismus against Satan and the rebel angels (1890): full text from ASS vol. 23
Full Latin text of the Exorcismus in Satanam et Angelos Apostaticos of Saint Leo XIII (1890), taken directly from the primary source Acta…
Second Council of Constantinople (553) – anathema 9 against Origen’s apocatastasis (Mansi vol. 9)
Anathema 9 of the Second Council of Constantinople (553) condemning Origen’s apocatastasis: the fall of the angels is irrevocable; the demons…
Council of Laodicea (363-364) – canon 35 against the excessive cult of the angels (Mansi vol. 2)
Canon 35 of the Council of Laodicea (363-364) condemns angelolatry and the excessive cult of the angels, establishing the Catholic balance…
First Council of Braga (561) – the canons against the demonic dualism of Priscillianism
The First Council of Braga (561) with the canons against the demonic dualism of Priscillianism: God the one creator, the Devil as a fallen…
Patristic angelology – synthesis of the Fathers of the Church (2nd-8th Centuries)
The angelology developed by the Fathers of the Church (Ignatius, Justin, Origen, Athanasius, Basil, Chrysostom, Augustine, Gregory the Great…
Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite – de caelesti hierarchia: the nine choirs of angels
The De Caelesti Hierarchia of Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (5th-6th centuries): the classic structure of the Nine Choirs of Angels in three…
Codex Iuris Canonici – Canon 1172 (1983): The Canonical Discipline of Exorcism
Canon 1172 of the Code of Canon Law (1983), which regulates the discipline of the ministry of exorcism: the express license of the Bishop, the…
Guardian Angels – Devotion and Catholic Magisterium
The Catholic doctrine on the Guardian Angels: biblical foundation (Mt 18:10; Ps 91), patristic tradition, magisterium (Paul V, Pius XII, JP2…
Saint Raphael the Archangel – God heals: the companion of Tobias and patron of the sick
The Catholic doctrine on Saint Raphael the Archangel: the Book of Tobit, the deliverance of Sarah from Asmodeus, the magisterium on the angel…
Saint Gabriel the Archangel – the messenger of the Marian Annunciation and patron of communications
The Catholic doctrine on Saint Gabriel the Archangel: his appearances in Scripture, the Annunciation to Mary (Lk 1:26-38), the…
Saint Michael the Archangel – Devotion and Magisterium: The Prince of the Heavenly Host
The Catholic doctrine on Saint Michael the Archangel: biblical refs (Daniel, Jude, Revelation), ancient and contemporary magisterium (Pius IX…