BACKGROUND INFORMATION

In Catholicism, there is no direct belief in a goddess or goddesses.  Catholics believe in the trinity- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit - the three in one god.  This god is traditionally masculine in nature and thought of as a father figure.  However, Catholics have a strong devotion to Mary, the human mother of Jesus, and goddess-worshipers can find a great similarity between the Catholic Mary and the Goddess.

The Catholic story of Mary is fairly simple. Mary (or Miriam as she would have been called) was a poor Jewish girl living in Nazareth when an angel appeared to her, declared her blessed and asked her if she would become the mother of God (as God was preparing to become a man in order to fulfill the Jewish prophecy of a messiah or savior).  Mary responded, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord.  Be it done unto me according to thy word."  Mary gave birth to Jesus (who Christians worship as God) and was present during his teaching, miracles, and death.  At his death Jesus spoke to his friend, saying "John, behold thy mother."  And then to Mary, "Mary, behold thy son". In this act, Catholics believe that Jesus gave his mother to be mother of all people.  Catholics call Mary "our mother" and complete the family begun with God the Father and all people as His children.

Catholics also believe that Mary was completely free of fault or sin, even from the moment of conception (giving her the title, the Immaculate Conception).  She is the only person, other than Jesus, to be thought of in this respect.  When she died, they believe she was assumed, soul AND body, into heaven.  There she was crowned "Queen of Heaven and Earth".

During the spread of Christianity throughout the world, one of the tactics of conversion was to make Christianity more similar to the pagan religions of the people.  Mary, the most obvious choice to associate with the Goddess,
is depicted in art with a crown made out of stars with the moon at her feet. Many of us, who still follow the old ways, believe it was the Goddess Herself who assumed this new form, keeping alive the Feminine Divine in the most desperate of times.
 
 
 

SACRED TO HER

Mary is often associated with roses, the moon, and stars.   The places she has appeared (recognized as "worthy of belief" by the Catholic Church) include, but are not limited to:
Lourdes France, Fatima Portugal, Guadalupe Mexico, Akita Japan, Zeitoun Egypt and Knock Ireland.

Detailed information on each of these apparitions are available at http://www.theworkofgod.org/Aparitns/Aparitns.htm.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

HER ROLE IN PRAYER AND DEVOTION

Mary has dozens of prayers and devotions practiced by Catholics for
centuries.  These include the rosary and the miraculous medal, arguably the
two most well-known.

THE ROSARY

Popularized by St. Dominic in the 13th century, the Rosary has become the most well known prayer to Mary.  It has been called "Mary's favorite prayer" and seems to be a common theme in the apparitions of the Virgin throughout
the world.  Mary continually asks Her followers to pray the rosary for "peace".

The sequence of prayers is:

1) The Apostles' Creed
2) Our Father
3) 3 Hail Marys
4) Glory Be
5) Our Father
6) 10 Hail Marys
7) Glory Be

Repeat 5-7 for a total of five times

8) Say the Hail Holy Queen (Salve Regina)

In addition, there are three sets of mysteries Catholics meditate on while
saying the rosary.  Each set has 5 mysteries (one mystery per decade).
These mysteries are:

JOYFUL MYSTERIES

1) The Annunciation (An Angel asks Mary, the Virgin, to become the mother of
Jesus.  She accepts)

2) The Visitation (Mary visits her cousin, Elisabeth, who is also pregnant)

3) The Nativity (Mary gives birth to Jesus)

4) The Presentation (According to Jewish law, Mary and her husband present
their son to God and the community in the temple)

5) The Finding in the Temple (After searching for three days, Mary find her
12-year-old son teaching scholars in the Jewish temple)

SORROWFUL MYSTERIES

1) The Agony in the Garden (Shortly before his arrest, Jesus spends 3 hours
in prayer in the Garden of Gethsemene)

2) The Scourging at the Pillar (Jesus is whipped)

3) The Crowning with Thorns (Jesus is tortured before his death)

4) The Carrying of the Cross (Jesus carries the cross he will be crucified
on.  Mary meets him along the way)

5) The Crucifixion (Jesus is put to death in the presence of Mary)

GLORIOUS MYSTERIES

1) The Resurrection (Jesus raises from the dead three days after his death)

2) The Ascension (Jesus ascends in to heaven, body and soul)

3) The Descent of the Holy Spirit on Mary and the Apostles (The Holy Spirit,
the third person of the Trinity, descends upon Mary and the Apostles.  It is
here when they begin to teach)

4) The Assumption (Mary is assumed into Heaven, body and soul)

5) The Coronation (Mary is crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth)
 

While the Sorrowful Mysteries seem to only focus on Jesus, Catholics are
taught to meditate upon Mary's role in all of these events.  In this
respect, the Joyful Mysteries focus on Mary as the Maiden, the Sorrowful
Mysteries focus on Her as the Mother, and the Glorious Mysteries focus on
Her as the Crone.
 
 

                     THE MIRACULOUS MEDAL

In the summer of 1830, a 24-year-old novice of the Sisters of Charity in Paris, France was awakened by a young child who called to her:

"Catherine, Catherine, wake up.  Come to the chapel.  The Blessed Virgin is waiting for you."

Catherine Laboure, who had expressed a strong desire to meet the Blessed Virgin, decided to follow the child down to the chapel.  The candles were burning as if at a midnight Mass.  About a half-hour later, at midnight, she heard a noise that sounded like the rustle of a silk dress.  When she looked up she saw a beautiful young woman surrounded by a blaze of white light sitting in the Father Director's chair.  The child who brought her to the chapel told her: "Here is the Blessed Virgin!"

Five months later, in November, Catherine experienced another apparition.  In this event Mary appeared dressed entirely in white holding a ball topped with a little golden cross.  The ball, she was told, represented the whole
world, especially France, and each person in particular.  Mary stood on a white globe with a green serpent under her feet on the globe. After a moment, an oval shape formed around the Blessed Virgin, and on it were written these words in gold: `O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.' Upon seeing this vision, Catherine heard a voice say: "Have a medal struck after this model.  Those who wear it will receive great graces; abundant graces will be given to those who have confidence."  At this point, the oval seemed to turn and Catherine saw the reverse of the medal: the letter M surmounted by a cross, and below it two hearts, one crowned with a crown of thorns, and the other pierced by a sword.

After hearing all of her accounts of these apparitions, her spiritual director, Father Aladel, met with the local archbishop and after deliberation the archbishop authorized that the medals be struck since he found nothing contrary to the Faith in anything Catherine said or experienced.  Within months there were a flood of reported cures and spiritual conversions attributed to the medal; so much so that it came to be called the Miraculous Medal.  Today there are millions of Miraculous Medals being worn by devotees of Mary all over the world.  Catherine has since been named a saint of the Catholic Church
 
 

                   OTHER TRADITIONAL PRAYERS TO MARY

(A note - Many of these prayers have been beautifully adapted by Goddess worshipers, who recognize the Goddess in Mary, and wish to pray these prayers without practicing Christianity.  However, because Mary is
traditionally prayed to and honored by Catholics, I am using the traditional versions of these prayers)
 

PRAYER TO OUR LADY: Remember, O most loving Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession was left unaided. Inspired with this confidence, we turn to you, O Virgins of virgins, our Mother. To you we come, before you we stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, do not despise our petitions, but in your mercy hear us and answer us. Amen.
 

PRAYER TO OUR LADY, ASSUMED INTO HEAVEN: Immaculate Virgin, Mother ofJesus and our Mother, we believe in your triumphant assumption into heaven where the angels and saints acclaim you as Queen. We join them in praising you and bless the Lord who raised you above all creatures. With them we offer you our devotion and love. We are confident that you watch over our daily efforts and needs, and we take comfort from our faith in the coming resurrection. We look to you, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. After this earthly life, show us Jesus, the blest fruit of your womb, O kind, O loving, O Sweet Virgin Mary. Amen.
 

HAIL MARY
Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee.  Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus.  Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour our death. Amen
 

THE SALVE REGINA (Hail Holy Queen):  Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life our sweetness and our hope.  To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve; To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.  Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us and after this our exile show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.  O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
   V-  Pray for us, O Holy Mother of God
   R-  That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
 

ORIGINAL ART

The Goddess Hides in Mary
by Amaraya

In darker times they tried to destroy Her
They refused Her existance, they called Her a demon
They murdered Her faithful, Her priestesses, Her children
And wars become like plagues, the land itself was barren

But the Goddess does not abandon Her daughters
Instead She adopted a new form
Her presence was quiet, her insistance was gentle
The Goddess continued, weathering the storm

She tricked them into thinking
That She was dead and gone
That men alone held power
And only God, the throne

She spent her time in hiding
But visited men at night
And there whispered thoughts of candles
Of the Moon and Her white light

Because her absence was too unbearable
They raised up to the altars a new face
And Mary shone down from heaven
And resumed Her rightful place

And only Her faithful recognized this woman
And smiled to see flowers at Her feet
They wait until She reveals Herself again
For Her rebirth; For the cycle to complete
 

Links/Sources

http://www.fatima.org
http://carmelnet.org
http://www.maxkol.org/gallery.htm
http://www.catholic.org/mary
http://www.theworkofgod.org/Aparitns/Aparitns.htm

A Note: Some of the messages and images on these sites are not very peaceful or "Goddess-centered".  By using their images of and information about Mary, I am not necessarily prescribing to the doctrines or beliefs of the authors of the websites.

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