This document provides an overview of Catholic teachings regarding Mary and the saints. It discusses that Catholics honor but do not worship Mary and the saints. It outlines Mary's role in salvation history and several dogmas regarding Mary, such as her Immaculate Conception and Assumption. Several approved Marian apparitions are summarized, including Our Lady of Guadalupe, Lourdes, and Fatima. The document also briefly discusses the canonization process and provides examples of patron saints.

1. 1
Mary and the Saints
Dave Oshman

2. 2
Agenda
• Overview
– Honor vs. worship
• Mary the Blessed Mother
– Mary’s Role in Salvation History
– Dogma
– Mary’s Visits
• Our Lady of Just About Everything
• Approved and not approved
– Stained Glass Windows

3. 3
Agenda
• Saints
– Process for Sainthood
– Doctors of the Church
– Patron Saints
– Stained Glass Saints
– Other Saints

4. 4
Stained Glass Windows of OLMC

5. 5
Honor vs. Worship
• Do Catholics worship Mary and the Saints?
– We honor them as role models
– We DO NOT worship them
– Terms: Latria - Adoration shown to God alone.
Dulia - proper devotion (reverence / homage) to the saints
and angels
Hyperdulia - special honor to Mary.
Dulia - Greek Slave. Saints are slaves (servants) of God.
• Why do we pray to them?
– To intercede for us to God
• What loving son wouldn’t listen to his mother?
• Specific saints seem to have particular things that they intercede
for (Patron Saints)

6. 6
Honoring Mary
• Elizabeth describes her as ―Most blessed among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb‖ (Luke 1:42)
• God the Father honored Mary. The angel Gabriel sent from
God announces: ―Hail favored one! The Lord is with you...
You have found favor with God‖ (Luke 1:29-30).
• God the Son honored Mary. He chose her to be his mother.
• The Apostles honored Mary. She had a special place among
them and was with them while they awaited the coming of
the Holy Spirit.
• Early Christians honored Mary. Early pictures were painted
of Mary holding the baby Jesus.

7. 7
―Ologies‖
• Catholic theology proposes that Mary's willed
obedience (Lk 1:38) is contrasted with Eve's
disobedience (Gn 3:6), an idea with roots in the
writings of the Church Fathers.
• One of the earliest terms used to refer to the
Blessed Mother is the Greek word, ―Theotokos‖
– The etymology of Theotokos – A compound of two
Greek words, θεος "God" and τοκος "parturition,
childbirth." Literally, this translates as "God-bearer" or
"One who gave birth to God."

8. 8
Mary’s Role
• "This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace
continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she
loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained
without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal
fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did
not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold
intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal
salvation .... Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in
the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper,
Benefactress, and Mediatrix."
• "We believe that the Holy Mother of God, the new Eve,
Mother of the Church, continues in heaven to exercise
her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ"
-From the Second Vatican Council

9. 9
Blessed Mother Dogma
• Mother of God (431)
– Feast day is January 1
• Ever-Virgin (553)
• Immaculate Conception (1854)
– Feast day is December 8
• Assumed (Body and Soul) into Heaven
(1950)
– Feast day is August 15

10. 10
Apparitions of the Blessed Mother
• There have been thousands of reported
apparitions of the Blessed Mother (estimated
21,000 total since the 3rd century)
• The first recorded apparition of the Blessed
Mother was to St. James in A.D. 40 in Spain,
before she was assumed into heaven
• Some have been approved by the Church;
others have not
• One does not have to believe in these
apparitions!

11. 11
For those who do not believe, no
explanation is possible. For those
who do believe, no explanation is
necessary.

12. 12
Approval Process
• The local bishop is the first and main authority in
apparition cases, which can be defined as instances of
*private revelation. Bishops evaluate evidence of an
apparition according to these guidelines:
– The facts in the case are free of error.
– The person(s) receiving the messages is/are
psychologically balanced, honest, moral, sincere and
respectful of church authority.
– Theological and spiritual doctrines presented are free of
error.
– Moneymaking is not a motive involved in the events.
– The person is not gravely immoral.
– Healthy religious devotion and spiritual fruits result,
with no evidence of collective hysteria.
*Public revelation is defined as all teachings up to the death of the last Apostle (Scripture)

13. 13
Apparition Evaluation Categories*
• Category 1–Prohibited
– Content contradicts church teaching
• Category 2—Unrecognized (majority)
– Church says nothing about it
• Category 3—Neutral
– Nothing contrary to Catholic faith or morals
• Category 4—Positive affirmation
– Worthy of pious belief
*Credit to Mark Miravalle, Assistant Professor of Theology at the Franciscan University at Steubenville

14. 14
Approved Apparitions
• Guadalupe, Mexico in 1531
• Laus, France in 1664-1718
• Paris, France in 1830
• La Salette, France in 1846
• Lourdes, France in 1858
• Pontmain, France in 1871
• Fatima, Portugal in 1917
• Beauraing, Belgium in 1932-33
• Banneux, Belgium in 1933
• Akita, Japan in 1973

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Our Lady of Guadalupe
• 1531, Guadalupe, Mexico - On a hill outside Mexico City, the Blessed Mother
appeared four times to a recent convert to Christianity, Juan Diego. Mary
proclaimed herself "the Mother of the true God who gives life―.
– St. Juan Diego (canonized 2001) was a poor,
illiterate peasant farmer
– He told the local bishop about the visions and the
bishop asked for proof
– The next time he saw the Blessed Mother she told
him she would provide proof
– The next visit, she produced many different types
of roses in abundance which Juan brought to the
bishop wrapped up in his tilma (cape)
– Juan brought the roses to show the bishop
– When he opened his tilma to show the bishop, the
bishop saw an image of the blessed mother which
was permanently placed upon his tilma
– This tilma is made of cactus and should have
decomposed over 400 years ago but is still supple
as new
– Because of the symbolism within the image, the
Aztecs quit their practice of human sacrifice and
many converted to Catholicism
– Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of the
Americas
Actual picture of the tilma

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Our Lady of Laus, France
• Number of Apparitions: Many (over 54
years)
• Benedicta Rencurel (age 17), a poor
shepherdess, was born in 1647. The
Virgin Mary started appearing to her in
1664 and continued visiting her
throughout the rest of her life. The
Blessed Mother told her to ―pray
continuously for sinners.‖
• Vatican approval May 2008

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Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal
• 1830, Paris, France - In the chapel of the
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, Mary
appeared to Saint Catherine Laboure (age 24) in
Paris, France in 1830 and asked her to have a
medal struck after the image of Mary revealed,
and a promise of great graces was made to those
who wear it when blessed.
• ―O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who
have recourse to thee.‖ (Immaculate Conception
approved as dogma in 1854)
• This medal was made of this and handed out to
many of the sick in the convent—so many people
received miracle cures through this medal that it
was soon called the Miraculous Medal
• Throughout her life, St. Catherine was not
acknowledged by most of her contemporaries as
the seer until she was on her deathbed

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Our Lady of La Salette
• 1846, La Salette, France - Six thousand feet up in the French Alps, Mary is
believed to have come to Maximin Girard (age 11) and Melanie Calvat (age 14)
while they tended sheep.
• Her appearance in sorrow and tears called for conversion and penance for sins.
• She was called ―Madonna of the Tears‖
Mary’s messages were very apocalyptic
“Woe to the inhabitants of Earth! There will be bloody wars
and famine, plagues and infectious diseases . . . .Men will beat
their heads against walls, call for their [own] death, and death
will be their torment.”
Mary predicted economic woes and famine in France
which came true by the time she stated (by Christmas that
year)
The two young seers did not fit the mold of other seers
―Indeed, Maximin Girard became vain about his celebrity
status, strutted about importantly, and was often drunk,
bragging, and combative.‖
He tried to sell and franchise a liqueur called ―Salette‖
Melanie tried to live with several religious orders,
eventually becoming bitter and eccentric, blaming the
Church for not recognizing her importance by calling
herself ―Sister Mary of the Cross, Victim of Jesus‖ (―Victim
of Jesus‖ referring to the church.)

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Our Lady of Lourdes
• The Blessed Mother asked for a chapel to be built at
the site of the apparitions (the Grotto of Lourdes)
• This was not believed by the local priest until the
Blessed Mother told Bernadette, ―I am the
Immaculate Conception‖
– The priest knew that an illiterate peasant would not
know that this was recent dogma (1854) and
thereafter believed
• During one vision, the Blessed Mother told
Bernadette to dig at a specific point of dry ground
– She dug a hole which became muddy and eventually
became a spring and through these waters, thousands
have been cured of many ailments
• Bernadette was given three secrets which she never
told
• 1858, Lourdes, France - At the Grotto of Massabielle, the Virgin showed herself
18 times to Bernadette-Marie Soubirous (age 14)
• Under the title "the Immaculate Conception," she called for penance and prayer
for the conversion of sinners
• St. Bernadette’s (1844 – 1879)
body is incorrupt to this day

20. 20
Our Lady of Victory
• 1871, Pontmain, France - Mary appeared on a farm to Eugene (age 10) and
Joseph Barbadette (age 12) and Francoise Richer and Jeanne-Marie Lebosse,
students at the nearby convent school
• Mary's message was written on a banner that unfurled from her feet as the
crowd that had gathered around said prayers: "But pray my children. God will
hear you in a short time. My Son allows Himself to be moved by compassion."
• This vision is known as Our Lady of Hope and Our Lady of Victory
• The German Army stopped their
invasion only five miles away from
Pontmain while the apparition was
occurring
• It is claimed that General Schmidt,
the Prussian commander stated,
―We cannot go farther. Yonder, in
the direction of Brittany, there is
an invisible Madonna barring the
way.‖

21. 22
Our Lady of Fatima
• 1917, Fatima, Portugal - While tending sheep, Lucia dos Santos (age 10) and her
two cousins, Francisco (age 9) and Jacinta Marto (age 7), reported six apparitions
of Mary as Our Lady of the Rosary
• Mary promised a sign to all people and on October 13, 1917 the Miracle of the
Sun occurred
– Witnessed by 70,000 people, after a drenching night of rain, the clouds broke up and
the sun appeared to dance with many colors as reported by many (non-religious)
newspapers at the time
• Mary delivered 3 secrets to the children
• The first two were revealed in 1941
1. Vision of hell,
2. Instructions on how to save souls from hell and convert the world to Christianity
• The third was written down by Lucia and given to the Pope to hold
It was finally revealed by Pope John Paul II on May 13, 2000
3. A vision of a Bishop in White killed by soldiers
• Pope John Paul II stated that the vision was of him being shot on May 13, 1981
– Pope John Paul II saw a little girl wearing a small picture of Mary of Fatima. Just as he
bent over to recognize the girl, two shots rang out. A hired assassin, Mehmet Ali Agca,
squeezed off two shots at the place where the Pope’s head had been just before he
bent over to view the girl. Two more shots were fired and the Pope was hit. The Pope
credits OLO Fatima with saving his life that day.
• Fatima also spoke of the rise of communism in Russia, which crumbled thanks to
Pope John Paul II

22. 23
Our Lady of Beauraing
• 1932-33, Beauraing, Belgium - Mary is believed to have come 33 times to the
playground of a convent school to five children (ages 9-15), Andree and Gilberte
Degeimbre and Albert, Fernande and Gilberte Voisin.
• Identifying herself as "the Immaculate Virgin" and "Mother of God, Queen of
Heaven," she called for prayer for the conversion of sinners
• Mary asks to have a church built on the site
• Her messages were:
– ―I shall convert the sinners‖
– ―I am the Queen of Heaven and the Mother of God; Pray always‖
– "Do you love My Son?… Do you love Me?… Then offer yourself up for Me!!"
•Doctors experimented while the children were seeing the visions
•They passed a bright lamp across the eyes of the children
•Stuck a needle fairly deeply into one of the children
•Placed a burning match on the hand of one of the girls that
burns completely up and dies, but there is no sign of any
sensitivity or marks afterwards
•The children were questioned separately, but there is absolutely
no difference in what they say

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1933, Banneux, Belgium - In a garden behind the Beco family's cottage, the
Blessed Mother is said to have appeared to Mariette Beco (age 11) eight
times.
Calling herself the "Virgin of the Poor," Mary promised to intercede for the
poor, the sick and the suffering.
Mary asked for a small chapel to be built
Virgin of the Poor
Mariette on the left

24. 25
Our Lady of Akita, Japan
• In 1973, Sr. Agnes Sasagawa, a deaf nun
from Akita heard the Blessed Mother through
a wooden statue that bled and wept
• Sr. Agnes temporarily received the stigmata in
her left hand and received 3 messages
– pray for the reparation of the sins of humanity
and to obey her superior
– warned of a great punishment from the Father
– The Father would inflict a terrible punishment
on humanity, that fire would fall from the sky
and wipe out part of the population, and that
the devil would infiltrate the Church
• Sr. Agnes was told in 1974 that she would receive
her hearing back
– In 1975 it was medically determined that her
deafness was incurable
– However, she was permanently cured in 1982

25. 26
Unapproved Apparitions
• Too many to note
• Some noteworthy ones
are:
– Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
(1251)
• Before they had an
―approval process‖
– Our Lady of Medjugorje
(since 1981)
• Currently ongoing
• Less Noteworthy
– Betania, Venezuela
– Garabandal, Spain
– Amsterdam, Holland
– Conyers, GE
– Scottsdale, AZ
– Cold Spring, KY
– Bayside, NY
– Necedah, WI

26. 27
Immaculate Heart of Mary
•A ―devotion‖ to the Blessed
Mother
•―Mary treasured all these things
and reflected on them in her
heart.‖ (Lk 2: 19)
• ―His mother meanwhile kept
all these things in her heart.‖
(Lk 2:51)

27. 28
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel
On July 16, 1251, St. Simon Stock (Carmelite Monk) received the brown scapular
(called a sacramental) from the Blessed Mother in a vision in Cambridge, England.
In answer to his appeal for
help for his oppressed
order, Mary appeared to
him with a scapular in her
hand and said: "Take,
beloved son this scapular of
thy order as a badge of my
confraternity and for thee
and all Carmelites a special
sign of grace; whoever dies
in this garment, will not
suffer everlasting fire. It is
the sign of salvation, a
safeguard in dangers, a
pledge of peace and of the
covenant"

28. 29
Seven Sorrows (Devotion)
Luke 2:34-35: Simeon said to Mary ―A sword shall pierce your soul, for this child
shall be rejected by many in Israel, and this to their undoing. But he will be the
greatest joy to many others. And the deepest thoughts of many hearts shall be
revealed.‖
1. Prophecy of Simeon
2. Flight to Egypt
3. Losing Jesus in Jerusalem
4. Meeting Jesus on His way to Calvary
5. Jesus is crucified
6. Jesus taken down from the Cross
7. Jesus’ burial

29. 30
Saints

30. 31
Saints
• Saints are real people who have led holy lives
that we can use for role models.
• Martyrs are individuals who died for their Faith
and are also Saints.
• Tradition: First honored by the Church in 100
AD. Came from a long standing Jewish tradition
of honoring prophets and holy people.
• The tradition of relics is equally as old
– A part of the holy person’s body or something they
wore are considered relics

31. 32
Process of Sainthood
• First recognized by popular acclaim (by vote). But
by the tenth century, the bishops and pope took
over the authority for approving saints by
Canonization.
• Steps (can begin *5 years after a candidate’s
death)
– Servant of God (documentation is gathered)
– Venerable (lived a life worthy of veneration)
– Blessed - 1 miracle attributable to the candidate
– Sainthood - 2 miracles as proof of intercessory power.
• Martyrs are called Blessed once it is proven that
they died for the Faith but still need one miracle for
Sainthood
* Can be waived (St. Francis of Assisi, Mother Teresa, Pope John Paul II)

32. 33
Relics
• Relics are used to honor a Saint and invoke
their intercession (e.g. place a relic on a
sick person)
• All altars have a first class relic within them
• First Class Relics - Actual part of a saint (a
bone, a hair, a limb, etc.)
• Second Class Relics - An item that the
saint wore (a sock, a shirt, a glove, etc.)
• Third Class Relics - Something touched to
a (first or second class) relic of the saint

33. 34
Doctors of the Church
• Special title for certain Saints
• Indicates that writings and preachings of Saint
are useful to Christians ―in any age of the
Church‖
• Usually the Saint is known for their knowledge
or insight of the Church’s teachings
• Their teachings have contributed significantly
to the formulation of Christian teaching in at
least one area
• 33 Doctors (last was St. Therese)

34. 35
Patron Saints
• Special Saints chosen as a special intercessor
with God for certain things
– Occupations, illnesses, churches, causes
• People and churches were named after apostles
and martyrs as early as the 4th century
• Often chosen because of the Saint’s interest or
events in their life
• Saints become protectors/intercessors for that
particular cause

35. 36
Patron Saints
• Francis de Sales was a writer and so he is patron of
journalists and writers.
• Clare of Assisi was named patron of television because one
Christmas when she was too ill to leave her bed she saw
and heard Christmas Mass – even though it was taking
place miles away.
• Peregrine – Cancer Victims. Cured from cancer in his foot.
• Bridgid of Ireland is the patron of Dairy Workers. One day
she gave away a whole pail of milk to the poor, and then
began to worry about what her mother would say. She
prayed to the Lord to make up for what she had given
away. When she got home, her pail was full!
• Apollonia – Dentistry. Hit in the face by a persecutor
(249AD) which knocked her teeth out.

36. 37
Stained Glass Windows

37. 38
Saint Francis of Assisi
•1181 - 1226
•Founded Franciscan Order 1209
•Stigmata 1224
•Canonized 1228
•Loved animals and preached to
them
•The nuns at OLMC are
Franciscans
•Patron saint of ecologists and
merchants
•Feast day: October 4
•Animal, tonsure (monk haircut)

38. 39
Saint Joseph
•Foster father of Jesus
•Carpenter
•Descendant of David
•Patron of the dying, the
universal Church, fathers,
carpenters, and social justice
•Feast days: March 19 for
Joseph the Husband of Mary
and May 1 for Joseph the
Worker
•Baby Jesus, Lily, carpenter’s
square

39. 40
Saint Vincent de Paul
•1576 – 1660
•Prisoner / slave
•Worked primarily with the
poor and sick
•Founded Daughters of
Charity
•Patron of charitable
societies
•Feast day: September 27
•Always carries Christ
(normal hair-see Anthony
of Padua)

40. 41
Saint Paul
•Known as the Apostle of the Gentiles
•Originally named Saul, persecuted Christians
•Stoned St. Stephen, the first martyr
•Converted from Judaism on the road to
Damascus
•Wrote many books of the Bible (Epistles)
•Beheaded by the Romans c. 65
•Legend has it that where his head bounced,
fountains sprang forth
•Patron of authors and evangelists
•Feast day: June 29th (with St. Peter)
•Teaching the faith vs. Defending the faith
•Sword and book

41. 42
Saint Peter
•Died c. 64
•Fisherman
•Prince of the Apostles
•First pope
•Archeological excavation to find
his bones
•Patron of *fishermen, longevity,
Popes, Rome
•Feast day: June 29 (with Saint
Paul)
•Key, book

42. 43

43. 44
Saint Therese of Lisieux
•1873 – 1897
•Carmelite nun, Doctor of the Church (1997)
•―Little Flower‖ -- she referred to herself as a
frail creature, a tiny flower
•Little Way
•More apparitions of Therese than any other
20th century saint
•Saint Therese said that her mission would
start after her death
•Patroness of missions
•Not because she ever went anywhere, but
because of her special love of the missions,
and the prayers and letters she gave in
support of missionaries
•Feast day: October 1
•Roses, habit, cross

44. 45
Saint Joan of Arc
•1412 – 1431
•Canonized in 1920
•Heard voices which told her to tell the King of
France to reclaim his kingdom (from England)
•At 17, she led a small army and returned
France to the king
•Burned at the stake after capture in England
•Patroness of soldiers and of France
•Feast day: May 30
•Boyish looking, armor and weapons, battle
flag, fleur de lis

45. 46
Pope Saint Pius X
•1835 – 1914
•Elected pope in 1903
•Restoration of frequent communion from
childhood (7 years old instead of 12 or 14)
•Patron of first communicants
•Feast day: August 21
•Pope vestments, Holy Eucharist

46. 47
Saint Anthony of Padua
•1195 – 1231
•Augustinian priest (converted to become a
Franciscan)
•Doctor of the Church (1946)
•Gifted speaker, spoke in tongues
•Legend says that even fish loved to listen
•Patronage: against shipwrecks, Italy,
*finding lost things, fishermen
•Feast day: June 13th
•Lily, Baby Jesus (tonsure-see St. Vincent
de Paul)

47. 48
Saint Elizabeth
•Relative of Mary (first cousin?), Mother of
Saint John the Baptist
•Became pregnant very late in life
•Mary visited her soon after the
Annunciation
•Described in the Gospel of Luke as
"righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the
commandments and ordinances of the Lord
blamelessly."
•Patroness of expectant mothers
•Feast day: November 5
•Woman holding John the Baptist,
pregnant woman with Mary

48. 49
Saint Anne
•Mother of Mary
•Grandmother of Jesus Christ
•Wife of Saint Joachim
•Tradition says that Anne was quite elderly
when Mary was born, and that she was their
only child
•Patroness of broommakers, mothers,
equestrians, old clothes dealers
•Feast day is July 26
•Holding Mary or Jesus or teaching Mary to
read the Bible

49. 50
Other Saints of Interest

50. 51
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton•1774 – 1821 born in New York City
•First American-born Saint!!!
•Wife, convert, mother, widow, single parent,
foundress, educator, social minister, spiritual leader
•Much of her mission was in Maryland (Baltimore and
Emmitsburg)
•Established the first free Catholic school in America
•One miracle was the cure of a young child, Ann
Theresa O’Neill, (b.1948), of Baltimore, from acute,
lymphatic leukemia
•National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton is in
Emmitsburg, MD
•Patroness of Catholic schools, widows, death of
children
•Feast day: January 4

51. 52
St. (Maria) Faustina (Kowalska)
•1905 – 1938 (canonized 2000)
•Polish nun and mystic
•Had a series of personal revelations with
Jesus Christ that she recorded in her
Diary
•Started the devotion of the Divine Mercy
•The Chaplet of the Divine Mercy is to be
said when someone has died
•Her 2nd miracle was the 1995 healing of
the damaged heart of Fr. Ron Pytel of
Baltimore (Holy Rosary parish in Fells
Point)
•Feast Day: October 5
Fr. Ron Pytel

52. 53
Saint John Neumann
•1811 - 1860 (canonized 1977)
•Born in Bohemia
•There were too many priests in Bohemia so
he learned English and was ordained in NY
•Appointed Bishop of Philadelphia in 1852
•Regarded as the founder of Catholic
education in the United States, he increased
the number of schools in his diocese from 2
to 100
•Built 50 churches and started one cathedral
•Feast Day: January 5
His body still lies
incorrupt at the
church of St. Peter in
Philadelphia

53. 54
Saint Padre Pio
•1887 – 1968 Pietrelcina, Benevento, Italy
•Canonized in 2002
•Capuchin Monk (Franciscan)
•Suffered the stigmata for 50 years
•Mystic
•Many miracles through his intercession during
his life and after
•Opened hospitals to help the sick and suffering
•Had a huge following that besieged him
constantly
•Feast day: September 23

54. 55
Saint Gemma Galgani
•1878 – 1903
•Tuscany, Italy
•A true mystic
•Received visions regularly (saw her
Guardian Angel every day)
•Received the stigmata
•Was cured of TB through the
intercession of St. Gabriel of Our Lady of
Sorrows
•Feast day: April 11
•Patroness of apothecaries, druggists,
loss of parents, pharmacists, temptations

55. 56
Questions?