MSI Press Blog

  Our Lady of Sorrows is a traditional Catholic title for Mary that emphasizes her participation in the suffering of Christ and her own experience of grief. The devotion centers on seven specific sorrows , drawn from Scripture and early Christian tradition, that mark key moments of loss, fear, or anguish in her life. These include Simeon’s prophecy in the Temple, the flight into Egypt, the loss of the child Jesus in Jerusalem, Mary’s encounter with Jesus on the way to Calvary, the Crucifixion, the removal of Jesus’ body from the cross, and his burial. The title developed gradually, gaining formal shape in medieval spirituality and later becoming associated with the Servite Order , which promoted reflection on Mary’s sorrows as a way of understanding compassion, steadfastness, and the cost of love. The feast of Our Lady of Sorrows is observed on September 15 in the Roman Catholic calendar, immediately following the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, underscoring the connect...

  Note: Today is the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Romand Catholic Church. Catholics and Orthodox venerate Mary with deep love; most Protestants respect her but avoid devotional practices. Catholics and Orthodox are surprisingly close to each other — the real divide is between both of them and Protestant traditions. 🕊️ Catholics: Mary as Immaculate, Assumed, and Intercessor Catholics hold four Marian dogmas: Mother of God (Theotokos) — defined at Ephesus in 431, shared with the Orthodox. Perpetual Virginity Immaculate Conception — Mary conceived without original sin. Assumption — Mary taken body and soul into heaven. Catholic devotion includes: Rosary Marian feasts Apparitions (Lourdes, Fatima) Titles like Ark of the Covenant , Seat of Wisdom , Queen of Heaven Catholics see Mary as the model disciple , the New Eve , and a powerful intercessor who prays for the Church. ✨ Orthodox: Mary as Panagia, the All‑Holy One Orthodox Christians share the ancient devotion to Ma...

  The following excerpt comes from  Saints I Know   by Sula, Parish Cat at Old Mission. Appropriate for Caturday -- the book is "written" by a cat -- and for the Easter season.  Saint Mary   The one who was from birth meant to be a saint and lived a holy and perfect life, Mary has done so much for the world and for us who live in it that a short article simply will not suffice. I will try my best to point out the things that seem important to a cat, but so many more things will remain unexpressed that your chore will become to find out as many more as you can—and probably you already know many. Mary appears in both the Bible and the Q’uran , and she has many names: Mary (Miriam in Aramaic, the language of Jesus and the people where he grew up), the Virgin Mary, the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception, Mother of God, Mother of Jesus, and, though her apparitions, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Mercy, and others The name, the Imm...