Mary, Queen of Apostles

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The Seven Holy Founders were members of a Floren­tine Confraternity devoted to the Holy Mother of God. They were instructed by Our Lady in a vision to retire from the world and to found the Order of the Servants of Mary (Servites). This they did on Monte Senario, near Florence, Italy, adopting the Augustinian Rule. They have a special veneration for Our Lady's Seven Dolors.

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Blessed Bernard Tolomeo, the founder of the Olivetan Fathers, was tenderly devoted to Mary from his childhood. One day he was greatly tormented with doubts as to his salvation while at his hermitage, called Mount Olivet, near Ancona, Italy. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him, and said: "My son, why dost thou fear? Take courage!, God has pardoned thee, and is pleased with the life thou leadest; persevere, I will help thee, and thou wilt be saved".

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Anne Catherine Gonzaga was married to Fardinand I, Archduke of Austria. On the death of her husband she entered the religious Order of the Servants of Mary. She had a Rosary made for herself, on the beads of which were carved the Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin. She said, that for this Rosary she renounced all the other crowns of the world. Indeed, she did refuse to marry the Emperor Ru­dolph II. When she was informed that her younger sister had been crowned Empress, she replied: "My sister may enjoy her imperial crown; for to me this habit with which my Queen Mary has crowned me is a thousand times dear­er". The most Blessed Virgin appeared to her many times during her life.

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In the city of Avignon, France, whilst being besieged by enemies, the citizens took an image of the Blessed Virgin from the church and placing the same at the gate of the city, they implored Mary to protect them. One of the citizens, however, endeavored to seek additional pro­tection behind the image. A soldier, seeing him, shot an arrow, saying: "Ah, this image shall not save you from death". But the image elevated its knee, in which the arrow remained fixed (as may be seen to the present day), and thus saved the life of Mary's devout client. At the sight of this prodigy the enemy raised the siege

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St. Marie Bernadette Soubirous (1844-79), the poor peasant girl, to whom Our Lady appeared 18 times at Lourdes loved Mary exceedingly. She joined the Sisters of Charity at Nevers, and died there after much suffering.

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Blessed Hermann Joseph (1150-1241) from early child­hood and all through life showed a tender devotion to the Mother of God. He joined the Premonstratensian Order near Cologne, Germany, and is known for his treatises on mystical prayer

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St. Peter Damian extended the practice of fasting on Fridays in honor of the holy Cross of Jesus Christ; of the recitation of the Little Office of the Blessed Mother of God; and of keeping Saturday as especially devoted to her.

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Devoted to Mary to the point of calling himself her slave was St. Louis Marie Grignon de Montfort (1673-1716), a missionary priest of France, who converted mul­titudes in spite of Jansenist opposition. He founded the Daughters of Wisdom and the Company of Mary. His "Treatise on the True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary" is one of the best known and best loved books on Our Lady ever written.

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Venerable Marie de Agreda (1602-65), a Discalced Franciscan abbess in Spain, was gifted with extraordinary revelations of Our Lady. These are published under the title: "The Mystical City of God, the Divine History of the Virgin Mother of God"

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St. Germaine Cousin (1579-1601), the poor daughter of a farm laborer in southern France, is famous for her life of prayer and her devotion to Our Lady and the Blessed Sacrament.

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It was Our Lady who inspired St. Bonaventure (1221-74), one of the greatest mystical theologians of the Middle Ages and one of the greatest Scholastics. Among the books written by him is his famous "Psalter of Mary".

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St. Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) exchanged his military career for the service of Christ. As he lay recu­perating from battle injuries he read the life of Christ and the lives of the Saints. One night as he lay awake, ponder­ing the lights he had received, "he saw clearly", so says his autobiography, "the image of Our Lady with the Holy Child Jesus, at whose sight for a notable time he felt a surpassing sweetness, which eventually left him with such a loathing for his past sins, and especially for those of the flesh, that every unclean imagination seemed blotted out from his soul, and never again was there the least consent to any carnal thought". His conversion was complete; he spoke of nothing but spiritual things. After making a gen­eral confession at the famous Benedictine Abbey at Mont-serrat, he laid down his sword at the feet of the Virgin, and his generous soul, once enamored of worldly glory, now longed for the greater glory of the King Whom he hence­forth served. Together with several companions whom he met while studying in Paris, he founded the Society of Jesus. He wrote the "Spiritual Exercises", which are of un­told benefit to all who wish to reform their lives and to strive after sanctity.

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St. Alphonsus Mary de Liguori (1696-1787), founder of the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Re-demptorists), had the greatest devotion to the Mother of God, and published a book on her "Glories". While he was discoursing upon these "Glories", with great earnestness, more than once there appeared a marvelous light, projected on him from the statue of the Virgin, and in the presence of all the people he was rapt in ecstasy, with his counte­nance aglow.

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St. John Eudes (1601-80), an Oratorian priest, pro­moted public devotions to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. In 1641 he founded the enclosed Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Refuge for the rehabilitation of penitents and the safeguarding of those in danger. In 1643 he found­ed the Congregation of Jesus and Mary for secular priests (Eudists), for directing ecclesiastical seminaries and mis­sionary work.

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St. Bernard of Clairvaux (1090-1153), a Cisterciai monk, who preached the Second Crusade, is the author of many treatises, and sermons on the Blessed Virgin Mary. All Catholics are familiar with his "Memorare". "If we seek grace", he said, "let us seek it through Mary! What she seeks she finds!"

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St. Stephen (975-1038), the first Christian King of Hungary, proclaimed Our Lady the Patroness of Hungary.

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St. Joseph Calasanctius of the Mother of God (1556-1648), priest and confessor, was favored with frequent apparitions of the citizens of Heaven, particularly of the Virgin Mother of God. In 1597, he opened the first public free school in Europe, and founded the Order of Piarists or Regular Clerks of the Mother of God of the Pious Schools in Rome, for the teaching of children.

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St. Rose of Our Lady, virgin of Lima, is the first flower of sanctity in South America. She practiced great aus­terities, and suffered dreadfully from the torments of many sicknesses, and from malicious tongues. She was privileged with frequent apparitions of her Guardian Angel, St. Cath­erine of Siena, and of the Virgin Mother of God. She took the habit of the Third Order of St. Dominic, and was privi­leged to hear these words from Christ: "Rose of my Heart, be thou My spouse". She was famous for miracles both before and after her death.

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St. Vincent Ferrer, whose zeal for the conversion of sinners is known and praised throughout the whole Church, distinguished himself from early childhood by a great devotion to the Blessed Virgin. It was his constant en­deavor to render himself pleasing to the Queen of Heaven by imitating her virtues and preserving great purity of heart. Satan foreseeing how many souls this zealous serv­ant of Mary would convert, made use of every means in his power to cause his fall. One day while reading the treatise of St. Jerome on the perpetual virginity of this holy Virgin, being enraptured by an ardent love for the precious virtue, he paused in his reading, and prostrating himself on the floor prayed to the Queen of virgins to grant him the grace to preserve his virginal purity unsullied all the days of his life. No sooner had he finished his prayer than he heard these words: "Virginity is a rare virtue, imparted to very few; you must not flatter yourself to be of the number of these few". The astonishment of the holy servant of God was indescribable. He couldn't believe that the Mother of chastity would ever refuse her all-powerful intercession with God to those who implore of her this glorious virtue. As he continued to pray with still greater fervor, the Bless­ed Virgin appeared in heavenly splendor, and said to him: "Be not disquieted, my son. What you have heard is an artifice of the father of lies, who seeks to terrify and dis­courage you. Be of good heart, my son; persevere in the resolution which you have made, and in the obligation which you have assumed. Place your entire confidence in the goodness of my Divine Son and in my own. The devil will lay snares for you and cause you many struggles, but supported by grace you will come forth victorious". Having said this, the Blessed Virgin disappeared, leaving the saint rich in consolation and fresh courage. Under Mary's pro­tection he carried his unsullied purity to the grave.

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At the time when the terrible Saracen yoke oppressed the larger and more fertile part of Spain, and when very great numbers of the faithful were detained in cruel servi­tude, at the greatest risk of denying the Christian faith and losing their eternal salvation, the most blessed Queen of Heaven graciously hastened to remedy all these great evils, and showed her exceeding charity in ransoming them. For that most blessed Virgin herself appeared with beaming countenance to the holy Peter Nolasco, a man conspicuous for wealth and piety, who, having time for holy medi­tations, was ever turning over in his mind some means of helping the innumerable Christians living in hardship as captives of the Moors. She told him it would be very pleas­ing to her and to her only Son, if a religious Order were to be founded in her honor, whose members should devote themselves to delivering captives from the tyranny of the Turks.

It is marvelous how the holy man of God began to burn with the ardor of love. He had now but one desire at heart - that both he and the Order he was to found might be devoted to the exercise of that highest charity, the lay­ing down of life for one's friends and neighbors.

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Associating as we do the name of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque (1647-1690) with the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we often do not realize the direct influence of the Blessed Mother in her life. From early childhood she showed in­tense love for the Blessed Sacrament, and preferred silence and prayer to childish amusements. After her First Com­munion, at the age of nine, she practiced in secret severe corporal mortifications, until paralysis confined her to bed for four years. At the end of this period she made a vow to the Blessed Virgin to consecrate herself to the religious life, and she was instantly restored to perfect health. She entered the Visitation Convent at Paray on May 25, 1671. Our Lord frequently appeared to her and confided to her the mission to establish devotion to His Sacred Heart.

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In 1531 the Blessed Virgin appeared to Juan Diego at Guadalupe, near Mexico City. She imprinted her life-size image on his "tilma", with the command that the Bishop have a chapel erected in her honor on the site of the appa­rition. This famous shrine has ever since been a place of pilgrimage, and many miracles have occurred there.

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Blessed Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870), the found­er of the Congregation of Missionary Sons of the Immacu­late Heart of Mary, better known as the Claretian Fathers, was born at Salient in Catalonia, Spain. Tender devotion to the Mother of God was a fundamental trait of Anthony's character. An incident of special significance occurred when he was sixteen years old. He was miraculously spared from drowning. While roaring waves of the Medi­terranean tossed him about, young Anthony cried out to Our Lady: "Holy Mother, help me!" Instantly, without knowing how, he found himself safe and dry on shore.

On August 26, 1861, Our Divine Lord granted Arch­bishop Claret the grace of retaining the Sacred Species within his breast from one Communion to another, and like his holy patron, St. Anthony of Padua, Saint Claret receiv­ed the Child Jesus from the hands of the Blessed Mother on Christmas eve, 1864.

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To St. Catherine Laboure (1806-75), a Sister of Char­ity in Paris, Our Lady revealed the Miraculous Medal which she commanded her to propagate.

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St. Stanislaus Kostka (1550-68), a young Jesuit novice at Rome, born in Poland, showed a burning love of God and a great devotion to the Virgin Mary. On the first of August, the month in which he died, he heard a sermon in which the novices were exhorted to spend each day as if it were to be the last of their lives. After the discourse, Stanislaus told his companions that he recognized in this advice the voice of God admonishing him that his death would take place in the course of the month. His com­panions, seeing that he was in perfect health, laughed at what he said, regarding it as the expression of his desires.

Four days later Stanislaus accompanied Father Em­manuel to the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore, and, on the way, spoke of the approaching festival of the As­sumption. "Father", said the holy youth, "how beautiful will Paradise be on that day! On that day the Mother of God is crowned Queen of Heaven and elevated above the choir of angels! Ah, if it be true, that each year this festi­val is renewed in the heavenly Jerusalem, I have great confidence, O good Mother! that I shall soon behold it!" The manner in which he expressed these last words as­tonished his companion.

That very evening he felt the first attack of a fever, which, although slight, was regarded by him as a sure indi­cation of his approaching end. On retiring to rest he said, with a transport of inexpressible joy: "I shall never more rise from this bed; what a happiness! Death is a real bless­ing. Ah, my good Mother, thou hast obtained for thy un­worthy child the grace of being with thee on the festival of thy triumph!" On the vigil of the Assumption, the malady appeared still inconsiderable and did not present any a-larming symptom; but the saint told a lay brother that he would die on the following night. Shortly afterwards he grew remarkably worse. Sometimes he turned his eyes to the crucifix and fixed them on his dying Savior; at other times he kissed and then pressed to his heart an image of Mary. One of the religious asked him, "Of what use are these beads that you have in your hand, as you are not able to recite them?" "They serve", answered the young saint "to console me by reminding me of my Mother." The Virgin Mary once appeared to him and let him hold the Infant Jesus in his arms. God called Stanislaus to his heavenly re­ward in the tenth month of his novitiate at dawn on the 15th of August, as he had predicted.