Mary

What the Catholic faith believes

about Mary is based on what it
believes about Christ, and what it
teaches about Mary illumines in
turn its faith in Christ
CCC 487
It is through Mary that Christ
came into this world
Therefore, it is only
appropriate that one can
grow closer to Christ by
going through Mary.

Immaculate Conception
To become the mother of the Savior,
Mary was enriched by God with gifts
appropriate to such a role. When first greeted by the
Angel Gabriel, she is
pronounced, Full of Grace
For centuries, Catholics have believed that Mary was
redeemed at the moment of her conception and she
remained sinless throughout her life.
Pope Pius IX proclaimed this an infallible dogma in 1854 by stating,
The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her
conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by
virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race,
preserved immune from all stain of original sin.
CCC 490

The Incarnation
God becoming Man in Jesus

At the announcement that she would give birth to the Son of the Most
High, Mary responded with the obedience of faith, certain that with God
nothing will be impossible.

Let it be done unto me according to Thy word.

The Mother of God

Because of her fiat (let it be
done unto me according to
thy word), Mary truly became
the mother of God.

She is also our Spiritual

Mother and intercedes to
God on our behalf.
Why would she be considered our
spiritual mother?

Mother of the Church

During Christs death, it was
Mary who stood with him at
the foot of the cross.
From that position, Christ
gave Mary to his apostles
and thus to the Church.
Mary joined the apostles in the
upper room after Jesus died.
She was also with them for
the Ascension and the decent
of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.

Perpetual Virginity
From the first formulations of her faith, the
Church has confessed that Jesus was conceived
solely by the power of the Holy Spirit in the
womb of the Virgin Mary.
Behold, the virgin shall conceive
and bear a son.
Is 7:14
We also believe that Mary
remained a virgin throughout
her entire life.

Mary was a handmaid of the

Lord and lived a chaste life in
her marriage with Joseph.

Brothers and Sisters

Then Jesus' mother and brothers arrived. Standing
outside, they sent someone in to call him. A crowd
was sitting around him, and they told him, "Your
mother and brothers are outside looking for
you."
"Who are my mother and my brothers?" he asked.

Then he looked at those seated in a circle around

him and said, "Here are my mother and my
brothers! Whoever does God's will is my brother
and sister and mother."
A closer look at Scripture indicates that these brothers and
sisters were probably cousins or close friends of the family.
There was no word in Hebrew for this kind of relationship.

Assumption
the Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all
stain of Original Sin, when the course of her earthly
life was finished, was taken up body and soul into
heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen
over all things, so that she might be the more fully
conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and
conqueror of sin and death. CCC 966

The consequence of sin is death. Mary did not have

any form of sin so death was not a just punishment
for her.

Therefore, she was taken up

into heaven body and soul
when her earthly life was over.
Marys assumption
anticipates the resurrection
of all Christians.
As a Church, we celebrate
this event August 15th

Vocabulary

Immaculate Conception Mary is

conceived without Original Sin
Incarnation The Son of God becomes
flesh in Jesus Christ
Perpetual Virginity Mary remains a virgin
her entire life
Assumption Mary is taken into heaven
body and soul

Marian Devotion
Mary is the perfect model for all Christians.
It is through Mary that Christ came into this
world and it is through Mary that Christians can
approach Christ.
Scripture has shown that her intercession is
very powerful.
Christ gave her to the Church as our Mother