Growing to Know and Love Mary from a Worldwide Perspective by Lisa M. Hendey

Many of us have an "image" of Mary that comes immediately to mind when we offer prayers to the intercession of the Blessed Mother of Jesus. In my mind, Mary looks a lot like a younger version of many of the important women in my own life. For many, images of classic Madonnas by Rafael or sweet holy card remembrances are the face of Mary. Despite her "look", worldwide devotion to Mary remains constant.

As distant lands have come closer through the wonder of air travel and the Internet, new doors have been opened and many of us seek to learn more about the practice of Catholicism in other parts of the world. Watching the sea of humanity present at the recent events at the Vatican, I marveled at the flags and faces representing so many fellow Christians from around the globe. The universality of our faith struck me as I watched an Italian mother, a young Caucasian and an African gentleman all clutch their rosaries in the moments leading up to the announcement of Pope Benedict XVI's papacy.

Thanks to a wonderful new book by Ann Ball, we can learn more about stories, devotions and images of Mary from around the world. In The Other Faces of Mary (Crossroads, December 2004, paperback, 160 pages), Ball introduces us to Mary through the eyes of our fellow Catholics in places such as Vietnam, Nigeria, India, Japan and more. Ball and the many contributors to this book share with us a beautiful gift - the wonderful pictures that accompany the stories and reflections in this book left me wanting to travel to these places and see my own Faith through fresh eyes.

I spoke recently with Ann Ball about The Other Faces of Mary. Q: Ann Ball, author of The Other Faces of Mary and numerous other wonderful Catholic resources, thank you for your time and participation in this interview. Could you please begin by telling us a bit about yourself and your own faith journey?

A: Lisa, I am a convert. I grew up in a small town in an area which was still mission territory for the Catholics when I was a child so there was a lot of mis-information about the church. As an adult, through an unusual set of circumstances I wound up teaching at a Catholic school. My dad always had a St. Christopher medal on his keychain and I found a book in the library of that little school about St. Christopher. I read it and got hooked on reading about the saints - finished reading an entire series of children's books on the saints that year. The following year, we moved and I taught at another Catholic school. One day when I was having the children decorate a bulletin board for Our Lady, one of the sisters saw what we were doing and whispered to me, "She'll get you - just wait and see." Some years later when I announced my intention to join the church, that sister's response was simple "I told you Our Lady would get you."

Q: Ann, you've written on such a broad array of subjects. Please briefly describe this book and tell us what prompted you to take on the topic of lesser known visions of Mary.

A: The Other Faces of Mary is really a book of little known images and titles, not visions, of Our Lady. I have always been interested in other cultures, and Mary is the great "inculturator" of our faith. She comes to her people as one of them, in a form they can most readily understand. Gently she draws them with her maternal love to her Divine Son. We are all familiar with the main titles of Our Lady - Lourdes, Fatima, Guadalupe. But there are other beautiful devotions to Mary throughout the world.

Q: When watching recent events at St. Peter's during the death of Pope John Paul II and the election and installation of Pope Benedict XVI, I was struck by the universality of our Catholic faith as evidenced by the many faces and flags represented in Rome. While the ethnicities varied, devotion to Our Lady and the Rosary seemed to be a common thread. Could you say a few words about Mary's place in our world today as a unifying force?

A: Mary represents the twin jewels of our faith: cultural diversity and universal sameness.

Q: I found the stories and images of your book to be fascinating! How did you research the book and recruit the various contributors?

A: God bless the internet! When writing my first books, my postage bill was enormous and it sometimes took months to get a response. The internet has made it vastly easier to communicate with others overseas. For some of these I appealed to friends. For example, my friend and long-time correspondent Leo Knowles (r.i.p.) traveled in England to bring the story and picture of Ladyewell. Leo was also a Catholic writer, and his essay in this book is the last he wrote. A Vietnamese Buddhist friend from Houston was going to Vietnam and looked up a Catholic friend of his there who found the informatioin on Tra Kieu for me. I knew of the three handed icon and own a lovely copy of it written by my friend Mary Talamini. Naturally I asked her to comment on why she picked that particular icon to write. The one from Japan I saw myself on a trip there and it immediately reminded me of a lovely song I remembered from the 1960s. The author of that song was gracious enough to write a comment for me. For others I appealed to dioceses and priests all over the world. Actually, the stories behind the stories are all interesting. As a researcher who loves Our Lady, this was sheer pleasure for me.

Q: Is there any one "face" of Mary that holds particular devotion for you? Which of the images in the book did you find the most compelling, surprising or interesting?

A: I have two favorites in that book. First, because I am of English extraction, I love the Vulnerata. She is a figure of reparation and her story made me weep. I work with the Basilian mission fathers and I wrote a special prayer to Our lady Vulnerata which we shared with our missionaries and co-missionaries last Christmas. My other favorite is Tra Kieu because she shows the love Our Lady has for her persecuted peoples. As far as I know, her story was previously unknown in the United States, even by our many American Vietnamese Catholics. The picture was brought by Dung's friend from the North part of Vietnam. Later I was able to be in contact with the priest from the shrine there via the internet. I also love Chapi from Peru, especially when she has her hair braided and wears a Peruvian hat like the people of her area when she goes on pilgrimage. I treasure a little statue of her sent to me by the rector of her shrine.

Q: In his introduction to your book, Bishop Gregory John Mansour speaks of Mary as a "common bond" between Muslims, Christians and Jews in today's world. Given the global uncertainties that face us in this time, I cling to my family's daily prayers to Mary for peace and reconciliation as a sign of great hope. How can Our Lady help us explore and appreciate the cultural diversity of today's world?

A: If you get to know and love Our Lady, you can't help but catch her love for all her children! I think Rev. Stephen Doyle, O.P., in his comments on Divina Pastora says it best: "Here, respect for the faith of others and an acceptance of the shared common values inherent in all genuine faith expressions has been pursued." In particular, this image in the West Indies like Our Lady of Lebanon is revered by many of other faiths.

Q: I know that you are busy at work on your next project. Can you share a preview with our readers?

A: My friend Father Damian Hinojosa, c.s.b. and I just finished the research on a book about the Holy Infant Jesus. Many people are familiar with the Infant of Prague, and my own family has always honored the Christ Child under the title of the Holy Child of the Atocha, but there are hundreds of images and devotions to the Christ Child under these titles throughout the world. We wanted to trace the historical background of devotion to Christ as a child, and to tell the stories of some of these images which are still popular today. This subject has never really been explored completely before. There is one out of print German book and a lovely book, also unavailable in the U.S., on the infants honored in the Philippines. So again, another project of pure pleasure for a researcher. And, hopefully, also a great book for readers who love the Holy Child. It will be out this fall from Crossroads. The book has the cull background on the images you may know like the Infant of Prague, and the Divino Niño from Colombia, and many you don't know but will fall in love with. We found a tiny baby Jesus from El Salvador which was "clothed" by seashells when it fell in the ocean, a Little Blind Jesus from Mexico, the Holy Bellringer in Austria, and the image so loved by St. Therese of Lisieux along with many others.

Q: Ann Ball, author of the great treasure The Other Faces of Mary, thank you for another wonderful book and for your time. Are there any additional thoughts or comments you'd like to share?

A: Just my thanks to all those of you who have read what I write because that is what makes it possible for me to have the fun to continue writing. And an invitation to visit my own website at www.annball.com to see the other projects I am working on as well as find activities and stories for children as well as articles for adults.

For more information on The Other Faces of Mary visit http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0824522559/catholicmomcom


About the Author

Lisa M. Hendey is a mother of two sons, webmaster of numerous web sites, including http://www.catholicmom.com and http://www.christiancoloring.com, and an avid reader of Catholic literature. Visit her at http://www.lisahendey.com for more information.

How To Pray The Rosary by Michelle Yau

Many years ago, I attended a Catholic mass with a (non-Catholic) boy I was dating at the time. When leaving the church, my boyfriend turned to me and asked why we were constantly changing positions as the priest spoke. To be honest, I didn't have an answer for him. After attending church weekly (or twice weekly when school was in session) for so many years, the words can often become rote, and when to sit, stand, or kneel is almost a Pavlovian response. To this day, I don't know the reason behind all of the motions, but in spite of attending various churches over many years, the movements have been consistent in all of them.

Many of the Catholic practices have evolved over time, and how to pray the rosary is one example. Most Catholics believe that the Rosary prayer originated when the Virgin Mary appeared before St. Dominic (the founder of the Dominicans) in the early 1200s with a wreath of roses which she used to teach him to pray the rosary. Although, today's Catholics use Rosaries, pocket Rosaries, or Rosary bracelets rather than wreaths of roses, the basic form of saying the Rosary has remained nearly unchanged in the eight centuries since Mary taught it to St. Dominic.

Begin by making the sign of the cross (briefly touching the fingertips of your right hand to your forehead, the center of your chest over your heart, your left shoulder, and finally your right shoulder while reciting, "In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.")

Next Recite the Apostle's Creed.
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth
Of all that is seen and unseen.
I believe in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord.
Who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit
And born of the Virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate,
Was crucified, died, and was buried.
He descended into hell.
On the third day he rose again,
He ascended into heaven
And is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
The holy Catholic Church,
The communion of saints,
The forgiveness of sins,
The resurrection of the body,
And life everlasting.
Amen

The Apostle's Creed is followed by the Our Father prayer.
Our Father who art in Heaven
Hallowed be Thy name
Thy Kingdom come,
Thy will be done
On earth as it is in Heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
And forgive us our trespasses
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
Lead us not into temptation
But deliver us from evil.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours
Now and forever.
Amen

After saying the Our Father once, recite the Hail Mary prayer three times.
Hail Mary full of grace
The Lord is with Thee.
Blessed are Thou amongst women
And blessed is the fruit of they womb, Jesus
Holy Mary, mother of God,
Pray for us sinners
Now and at the hour of our deaths.
Amen

Follow this with a single recitation of the Glory Be to the Father prayer.
Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit
As it was in the beginning,
Is now and ever shall be
World without end.
Amen

After these prayers are said at the beginning, the following prayers are repeated for each of five decades. Recite the Our Father prayer once, followed by the Hail Mary prayer ten times, and the Glory Be to the Father prayer. Although these prayers can be said without accompaniment, most Catholics use a Rosary, Rosary bracelet, pocket Rosary, or Rosary ring to track the prayers on the beads while praying.

Rosaries, pocket Rosaries, and Rosary bracelets are offered in a large variety of materials ranging from inexpensive plastic and string beaded rosaries to more ornate designs which incorporate lampwork glass beads, Swarovski crystals, and gemstones such as black onyx or amethyst. Some rosary bracelets even incorporate more unusual materials like Bali silver to show that even a religious piece of jewelry rooted in centuries of tradition does not need to look traditional.
About the Author

Michelle Yau is the owner and designer for Trinity London, a jewelry company specializing in rosary bracelets and pocket rosaries.

A Brief History of the Rosary by Dan Rudden

The rosary is a form of combined prayer and meditation that has been around for over 1200 years. The origin of the rosary dates back to the ninth century where Irish monks would recite and chant the 150 Psalms of the Bible as a major part of their worship. People living near the monasteries were drawn towards this beautiful and harmonious devotion, and they became very eager to join in with the monks' prayers. Unfortunately, the people were not able to adapt to this form of prayer because the psalms were very hard to memorize and printed copies of the psalms were not readily available. As a result, it was suggested to the people outside the monastery that they recite a series of 150 "Our Father" prayers in place of the psalms.

As this form of devotion became increasingly popular, people started to devise methods in order to keep track of their prayers. At first, 150 little pebbles were placed inside small leather pouches to keep count. Since this method was rather troublesome, a thin rope having 50 knots on it was used instead (it was used three times for a total of 150 prayers). Eventually, the instrument of choice became the use of string with small pieces of wood.

In later years, the Irish monks traveled throughout Europe and brought this form of devotion with them. In some areas, both clergy and lay people began to recite the "Angelic Salutation" (the first part of what we now know as the "Hail Mary") as part of this devotion. The popularity of this prayer led to the adoption of 50 Angelic Salutations being said for each piece of wood or knot on the prayer string.

During the 13th century, Medieval theologians began to interpret the 150 psalms as veiled mysteries about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. They began to write a series of Psalters, or praises, in honor of Jesus for each interpretation of the psalms. In addition, 150 Psalters honoring Mary were also composed. In order to fit the existing prayer string, these Psalters were divided into groups of 50 and were referred to as "rosariums". Although "rosarium" refers to roses and rose gardens, it was used to signify a collection of prayers which could be compared to a bouquet of roses. As we see today, the rose is a very popular symbol associated with our Blessed Mother Mary and it is a sign that she often uses as she did in Guadalupe, Mexico.

The interpretation of the psalms into written Psalters lead to the implementation of special thoughts or meditations being attached to each bead. This innovated version of the rosary was widely spread by Blessed Alan de la Roche of the Dominican Order, as it revived the divinely inspired works that St. Dominic and his rosary Confraternity had initiated some hundred years earlier. The prayers of the Rosarium were later broken out into sets of 10 and these groupings became known as decades. Each decade of ten "Hail Mary" prayers would be preceded by one "Our Father".

Around the year 1700, the thoughts used in the rosary started to become narratives. St. Louis de Montfort composed the most common set of narratives that eventually became used as meditations for each decade of the rosary. These narratives were divided into five Joyful, five Sorrowful, and five Glorious meditations that are referred to as "mysteries". Just recently, in 2002, Pope John Paul II introduced another set of five meditations referred to as the "Luminous Mysteries".

As you can see, the rosary we know today is the result of many evolutions dating back several hundred years. Although the manner in which the rosary is recited has changed, the results of praying the rosary are still the same. Countless interventions still occur today, and the power and divine graces the rosary offers are available to everyone who is willing to give it a chance.
About the Author

Dan Rudden is the President and Founder of The Rosary Foundation; a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting the special graces, healing properties, and "15 Promises" of the rosary.

Visit: http://www.RosaryFoundation.org