Story time

1
(No Transcript)
2

• Story time!

3
Our Lady of Guadalupe

• In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a
  humble, uneducated Native American at Tepeyac, a
  hill northwest of what is now Mexico City.
• She identified herself as the ever virgin Holy
  Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of
  the Creator of all things, Lord of heaven and the
  earth.
• She made a request for a church to be built on
  the site, and submitted her wish to the local
  Bishop.
• When the Bishop hesitated, and requested her for
  a sign, the Mother of God obeyed without delay or
  question, sending Her native messenger to the top
  of the hill in mid-December (during winter when
  there are no roses!) to gather an assortment of
  roses for the Bishop.

4
Our Lady of Guadalupe

• She also left for us an image of herself
  imprinted miraculously on the native's tilma, a
  poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have
  deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of
  decay 475 years later and still defies all
  scientific explanations of its origin.
• She came to give Her message of love and
  compassion, and her universal promise of help and
  protection to all mankind.
• An incredible list of miracles, cures and
  interventions are attributed to Her.
• 14 million visit her Basilica every year, making
  her Mexico City home the most popular Marian
  shrine and the most visited Catholic sanctuary in
  the whole world.

5
Our Lady of Lourdes

• Our Blessed Mother appeared to a poor and sick
  fourteen year old girl who lived in the Pyrenees
  at a time of turmoil in France.
• On Thursday, February 11th 1858, Bernadette
  Soubirous, her sister Marie and another friend
  had gone to a nearby river to gather firewood.
  While Marie and her friend crossed the river to
  search the other side, Bernadette stayed on dry
  land.
• While searching for wood she heard a loud noise
  like the sound of a storm coming from a nearby
  grotto. At the mouth of the grotto was a rosebush
  which was moving as if it were windy, which it
  was not.

6
Our Lady of Lourdes

• From the interior of the grotto she saw a
  golden-coloured cloud, and soon after a Lady,
  young and beautiful who came and placed herself
  at the entrance of the opening above the
  rosebush.
• The Lady smiled at Bernadette and motioned for
  her to advance. Bernadette lost any fear she may
  have had and fell to her knees to pray the
  Rosary.
• After both she and the Lady completed these
  prayers (Our Lady only said the Lord's prayer and
  the Glory Be), the Lady slowly withdrew to the
  interior of the grotto and disappeared.

7
Our Lady of Lourdes

• Bernadette experienced eighteen visitations from
  Mary over a six month period never knowing who
  the Lady was until the last apparition.
• During the ninth apparition, Mary instructed
  Bernadette to dig a hole in the ground (meaning
  muddy water) and drink and bathe in it.
• The hole later turned into a spring of water
  which Mary promised would be a healing spring for
  all who came to use its waters.
• Mary also asked Bernadette to tell the local
  pastor, Cure Peyramale to have a chapel built in
  honour of her appearances there.

8
Our Lady of Lourdes

• The pastor accused Bernadette of lying about the
  apparitions and told her to find out from the
  Lady just who she was and demanded from her that
  she perform a miracle by making the rosebush in
  the grotto bloom.
• On March 25th, the Feast of the Annunciation,
  Mary answered the Cure's request when she told
  Bernadette, who had only received very little
  religious education, "Que soy era Immaculado
  Conceptiou I am the Immaculate Conception.
• With these words, Our Lady confirmed what the
  Pope had declared as official Catholic Church
  doctrine just four years earlier - a highly
  unlikely fact to be known by an uneducated
  fourteen year old in rural France.

9
Our Lady of Lourdes

• The apparitions were declared authentic in 1862
  and Lourdes rapidly became one of the world's
  major pilgrimage sites.
• Thousands have been cured from a variety of
  illnesses, both physical and spiritual, and a
  clinic to support the millions of pilgrims who
  come to Lourdes operates to this day.
• Bernadette returned to a life of obscurity. She
  became one of the Sisters of Notre Dame in Nevers
  and died there in 1879 after a long and painful
  illness.
• She was declared a saint in 1933, not because of
  the apparitions, but because of her dedication to
  a life of simplicity and service.
• Bernadettes body remains incorrupt even now, 120
  years after her death.

10
Many more apparitions and miracles..

• Our Lady of Fatima
• Our Lady of Medjugorje
• Many more go find out!

11

• So, who is Mary?
• In order to have a Christmas, there was a lot of
  preparation done

Mary was the star performer
12
What scene is this?(hint 1st Joyful Mystery)
13
The Annunciation

• Devotion to the Blessed Virgin began with the
  Archangel Gabriel's greeting "Hail, full of
  grace" at the Annunciation and has continued
  throughout the Church's history.

14
The Hail Mary
Hail Mary, full of grace. The Lord is with you.
Blessed are you amongst women, and blessed is
the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother
of God, pray for us sinners, Now and at the hour
of our death. Amen.
15

• So is the Hail Mary the only Marian prayer?
• Why do we pray Marian prayers in adoration of
  Mary anyway?

Because of her "YES" to God
16
The Angelus

• The Angelus is a devotion in memory of the
  Incarnation of Christ.
• It has its name from the opening words, Angelus
  Domini nuntiavit Mariæ.
• It consists of three texts describing the
  mystery, recited as verse and response
  alternately with the salutation Hail Mary!"
• In modern times, it is said at noon together with
  the whole Church around the world

17
The Angelus
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary. R.
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit. Hail Mary,
full of grace.. V. Behold the handmaid of the
Lord. R. Be it done unto me according to thy
word. Hail Mary, full of grace.. V. And the
Word was made Flesh. R. And dwelt among us. Hail
Mary, full of grace.. V. Pray for us, O holy
Mother of God. R. That we may be made worthy of
the promises of Christ.
18
The Angelus
V. Let us Pray R. Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O
Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we to
whom the Incarnation of Christ Thy Son was made
known by the message of an angel, may by His
Passion and Cross be brought to the glory of His
Resurrection. Through the same Christ Our
Lord. Amen.
19
And this?(hint 2nd Joyful Mystery)
20
The Visitation

• Mary, having heard at the Annunciation that
  Elizabeth was six months pregnant, left her home
  to visit her.
• Elizabeth and John the Baptist (in her womb) were
  inspired by the Holy Spirit at her arrival, and
  Elizabeth prophesied.
• Mary pronounced the "Magnificat" and remained
  with Elizabeth some months.
• It is the second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary.
  Theme Spiritual Fruit Love of Neighbour.

21
The Magnificat
My soul glorifies the Lord. And my spirit
rejoices in God my Saviour. For He has looked on
His servant in her lowliness From henceforth all
generations shall call me blessed. The Almighty
works marvels for me holy is his name. His
mercy is from age to age, to those that fear
him.
22
The Magnificat
He puts forth his arm in strength, and scatters
the proud hearted He casts the mighty from their
thrones, and raises the lowly He fills the
starving with good things sends the rich away
empty He protects Israel his servant,
remembering His mercy, The mercy promised to
our fathers, to Abraham and to his children for
ever.
23
Wrap up..

• Prayers addressed to Mary do not imply any
  divinity on her part (she is not God and we are
  not worshipping her)
• but rather seek to take advantage of her role as
  the ultimate intercessor with her Son which began
  with her 'intercession' at the Wedding Feast of
  Cana.
• Just as we offer prayers to God through His Son,
  our Lord Jesus Christ, so we offer our prayers to
  Jesus through Mary so that she may add her
  superabundant grace to them, making them more
  effective and acceptable to God.

24
Wrap up..
To Jesus, through Mary
25
Journal

• Mary desires to have a relationship with us,
  desires to bring us closer to Jesus.
• Who is Mary to you at this moment?
• Make a conscious effort to find out more about her

26
Closing Prayer (sung)

• Hail Mary, full of grace
• The Lord is with you
• Blessed are you amongst women
• And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
• Holy Mary, Mother of God
• Pray for us, sinners
• Now, and at the hour of our death.
• Amen.