Our Lady of the Rosary: The October 7th feast and its history
Our Lady of the Rosary is the title by which the Church venerates Mary as the Mother who teaches us to contemplate Christ through the…
Category: Teologia Mariana
Mary Help of Christians: The title, the feast on May 24th, and St. John Bosco
Mary Help of Christians – Our Lady of Assistance to Christians – is one of the most widespread Marian invocations, especially through the efforts of…
Our Lady of Nazareth and the Nazarean Candles
Our Lady of Nazareth is one of the most beloved Marian devotions in the Lusophone world, and its feast in Belém, Pará – the Nazareth…
The guardian angel: what the Church teaches
The Guardian Angel is the angel that God entrusts to each person to protect and guide them throughout life. It is a comforting truth of…
The mysteries of the Rosary: joyful, luminous, sorrowful, and glorious
The Rosary Mysteries are the events in the lives of Jesus and Mary that are contemplated while praying the Rosary. They are organized into four…
St. Michael the Archangel: who is he and the prayer of Leo XIII
Saint Michael the Archangel is the prince of the celestial militia and the great defender of the People of God against evil. His name, from…
The Hail Mary: the text, its two parts, and their meaning
The “Ave Maria” is, after the Our Father, the most prayed prayer in the Catholic Church. It is the heart of the Rosary and unites,…
The month of Mary: why is May dedicated to Our Lady?
Mary’s Month is the Catholic tradition of dedicating the entire month of May to the Virgin Mary, with daily devotions, flowers, rosary prayers, and hymns…
The Loretto Rosary (Hail Mary): origin and meaning
The Loreto Rosary (or Rosary of Our Lady) is one of the most beloved Marian prayers in the Church: a succession of invocations that praise…
The holy name of Mary: meaning and feast (September 12th)
The Holy Name of Mary is celebrated in a distinct liturgical feast on September 12th, four days after the Nativity of Mary. Devotion to the…
Saint Anne and Saint Joachim: Mary’s parents
Saint Anne and Saint Joachim are, according to Church tradition, the parents of the Virgin Mary and the grandparents of Jesus. Although they are not…
Saint Joseph: husband of Mary and patron of the Church
Saint Joseph, husband of the Virgin Mary and legal father of Jesus, is one of the most revered figures in the Church and the universal…
Mary in Revelation: The woman clothed with the sun (Rev 12)
This is one of the most magnificent pages of Marian Scripture. In Chapter 12, Saint John beholds “a great sign in heaven: a Woman clothed…
Mary and the Holy Spirit: The Annunciation, Pentecost, and the Sacrament of the Spirit
The connection between Mary and the Holy Spirit lies at the heart of the mystery of the Incarnation: it was through the action of the…
Dedication to Mary: “Totus Tuus” and True Devotion
Dedication to Mary is the complete surrender of oneself to Jesus Christ through Mary. Far from being a devotion that competes with Christ, it is…
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) refers to…
The Presentation of Mary in the Temple (November 21st)
The Presentation of Mary in the Temple is celebrated on November 21st and commemorates the tradition that Mary, as a young girl, was dedicated to…
The Nativity of Mary: The Birth of Our Lady (September 8th)
The Nativity of Mary – the birth of Our Lady – is celebrated on September 8th and is one of the oldest Marian feasts. The…
Mary Co-Redemptress: What the title means (and what it does not mean)
Corredentora Corredentora is one of the most debated Marian titles: it expresses Mary’s unique cooperation in the work of redemption accomplished by Christ. The prefix…
Mary, the new Eve: The typology of Eve-Mary in the Fathers of the Church
One of the oldest and most fundamental interpretations of Mary’s role in Christian tradition is that of “Mary as the New Eve.” Since the early…
Mary at the Cross (John 19:25-27): “Woman, behold your son.”
One of the most profound scenes in the Gospel of John is that of Jesus, in his final moments, entrusting his Mother to the beloved…
Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth (Luke 1:39-56): The Encounter and Its Meaning
This passage narrates Mary’s journey, shortly after the Annunciation, to visit her relative Elizabeth, who was expecting John the Baptist. It is one of the…
The Magnificat: Mary’s Song (Luke 1:46-55), structure and meaning
The Magnificat is the hymn of praise that Mary sings when visiting her relative Elizabeth (Lk 1:46-55). Beginning with the words “My soul magnifies the…
The Announcement to Mary (Luke 1:26-38): The Text and Its Meaning
The Annunciation to Mary (Lk 1:26-38) is the moment when the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will be the Mother of God’s Son,…
Mary’s Royalty: Why is Mary queen of heaven and earth?
The truth that Mary is Queen of Heaven and Earth is one of the oldest and dearest expressions of Christian faith. Crowned with twelve stars…
Marian Shrines: History, Significance, and Mission in Today
Mary’s sanctuaries have, throughout the history of the Church, been privileged places of encounter between faith and culture, between the Church and society. More than…
Mary, the Mediator of All Graces: What the Church Teaches
What does Mary, Mediator of all graces mean: the Catholic doctrine (Lumen Gentium 60-62), her subordinacy to Christ's sole mediation, and its theme in…
Priscilla Catacomb: The Oldest Image of Our Lady
In the Catacomb of Priscilla, carved into the Via Salaria in Rome, is found the earliest known image of Our Lady. The frescoes, dating from…
Blest are those who have believed: The Visitation and the encounter of hopes
Blessed are those who believe: The Visitation joins Mary and Elizabeth in a living and hopeful faith. Contemplate this Marian mystery in the Locus Mar…
Vatican Council I – Constitution on the Son of God (1870): Dogmatic definition on the creation of angels (Mansi, vols. 49-53).
A Constitution of the Son of God from the First Vatican Council (April 24, 1870) solemnly confirms the doctrine of the Lateran Council IV on the creat…
Second Council of Nicaea (787) – veneration of images of angels (Mansi vol. 13)
The Seventh Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (787) dogmatically defined the veneration of sacred images, including images of angels. Four iconographic sub…
Hippolytus of Rome – Apostolic Tradition (c. 215): The first liturgical document on baptismal exorcisms (Sources Chrétiennes 11b)
The Apostolic Tradition of Hippolytus of Rome (c. 215): the first Catholic liturgical document on exorcisms at baptism. French text (Sources Chrétien…
Origins – On the Principles of Leaders (On the Ruling Powers), Book I, Chapter 5: On Opposing Virtues (Christian Sources 252)
*Peri Archon* I, 5 of *Origines* (c. 220-225) on opposing powers: rebel angels and demons. Latin text by Rufinus and Portuguese translation from the c…
Ecclesiastical Annals (Baronius, 1588-1607) – Angelological and Demonological References in the History of the Church (Years 1-1198)
The *Annales Ecclesiastici* by Cesare Baronio (1538-1607), in 20 vols. (*Theiner, 1864*): the first great systematic Catholic ecclesiastical history y…
“The Great Roman Bull (Cherubini, 1692) and Volume XXI of the Bullarium – Demonic References and Angelic Peace in Medieval and Modern Bulls.”
A synthesis of demonological and angelological references in the *Magnum Bullarium Romanum* (Cherubini Laerzio, 1692, 5 vols) and *Bullarium T. XXI* (…
Pius XI – Apostolic Letter 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 of the…
Pope Leo XIII – *Exorcism Against Satan and the Rebel Angels* (1890): full text of AAS vol. 23
Prece
O Senhor nos exorte e nos proteja. Amém.
Exorcismo
Em nome da Santa Trindade, Pai, F…
Second Council of Constantinople (553) – anathema 9 against the apocatastasis of Origen (Mansi vol. 9)
Anathema 9 of the Second Council of Constantinople (553), condemning the Apocalypse of Origen: the fall of angels is irreversible; demons will not be …
Laodicean Council (363-364) – Canon 35 against the excessive cult of angels (Mansi vol. 2)
Canon 35 of the Council of Laodicea (363-364) condemns angelolatry and excessive devotion to angels, establishing the Catholic balance between legitim…
Bracarian Council I (561) – canons against the demonic duality of Priscillianism
The First Council of Braga (561) with canons against the demonic duality of Priscillianism: one God as the sole Creator, Satan as a fallen angel, matt…
Patristic Angelology – Synthesis of the Church Fathers (2nd-8th Centuries)
The development of angelology by the Church Fathers (Ignatius, Justin, Origen, Athanasius, Basil, Chrysostom, Augustine, Gregory the Great, John Damas…
Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagita – On the Celestial Hierarchy: The Nine Choirs of Angels
*The Celestial Hierarchy* by Pseudo-Dionysius Areopagite (5th-6th centuries): the classic structure of the Nine Choirs of Angels in three hierarchies.…
Code of Canon Law – Canon 1172 (1983): The canonical discipline of exorcism
Canon 1172 of the 1983 Code of Canon Law regulating the discipline of exorcism: express license from the Bishop, qualities of the exorcist (piety, kno…
Guardian angels – devotion and Catholic Magisterium
Catholic doctrine on Guardian Angels: biblical foundation (Mt 18:10; Ps 91), patristic tradition, magisterium (Paul V, Pius XII, John Paul II, Benedic…
Saint Michael the Archangel – Devotion and Magisterium: Prince of the Celestial Militia
Catholic doctrine on Saint Michael the Archangel: biblical references (Daniel, Jude, Apocalypse), ancient and contemporary magisterium (Pius IX, Leo X…
Roman Catechism (1566) – the doctrine on angels and demons
The doctrine of the Roman Catechism of St. Pius V (1566) on angels and demons: creation, spiritual nature, nine angelic choirs, guardian angels, the f…
Florence Council – Bull Cantate Domino (1442): Angels and Demons in the Profession of Faith
**Latin:***Bulla Cantate Domino* ex Concilio Florentinum (1442) definet systematice Deum Creatorem, angelos ut naturae bonos creaturas et caducem Di…
Paul VI – Credo of the People of God (June 30, 1968): Angels, as pure spirits, and the realm of the demon
The Creed of the People of God (Paul VI, June 30, 1968), with the solemn affirmation of the existence of angels as pure spirits and of Satan as a pers…
Catholic Catechism – Angels and Demons (Nos. 328-336 and 391-395)
**Sections of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on Angelology (Nos. 328-336) and Demonology (Nos. 391-395):**Existence, nature, and mission of an…
Pope Leo XIII – Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel (1886) and Exorcism in Satanam (1890)
The Prayer to Saint Michael the Archangel (1886) and the Exorcism in Satanam et Apostatici Angeli (1890) by Pope Leo XIII: full Latin texts, Portugues…