Books on Mary

"The knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. For what the virgin Eve had bound fast through unbelief, this did the virgin Mary set free through faith."--St. Irenaeus of Lyons Few devotions to the Blessed Virgin Mary have spread more in recent years than Our Lady, Undoer of Knots. When the faithful encounter trying moments, when all hope seems to be lost, they turn to their mother."Come with me to my Son," she tells us. And all is unbound.Through ordinary and everyday ...

"A Pocket Guide to the Holy Rosary" by Kevin and Mary O'Neill is an engaging and colorful booklet designed to teach children the power and practice of praying the Rosary. Through charming illustrations and straightforward guidance, it introduces young readers to the twenty mysteries of the Holy Rosary, blending fun with faith in a way that captures the imagination. The booklet offers a solid explanation of why the Rosary is prayed, diagrams and instructions on how to pray it, the basic prayer...

St. Louis de Montfort inspired a spiritual revolution in teaching us about Marian consecration and giving us a thirty-three-day plan to prepare our souls for that big step in our relationship with Jesus. In these pages, Fr. Boniface Hicks guides you through this 'retreat' to help you gain a deeper trust in and childlike dependence on our loving God. "What this consecration teaches us is that we have a sweet, loving, perfect Mother who actually wants to live in this intense relationship with u...

Near-death experiences (NDEs) are endlessly fascinating for those who long for Heaven or are just curious about the things we cannot see (yet). Lost in all the discussion of NDEs, however, is their long, rich history. Saints and mystics have been visiting Heaven for thousands of years, and here, for the first time, Scott L. Smith provides you with a glimpse of what they've been seeing these past two millennia.In these heart-pounding pages, you will first learn about the ancient origin of NDEs...

In Luke's Gospel, God humbles the proud and blesses the lowly. In Luke 1, skeptical Zechariah is struck mute while Mary, the simple "handmaid of the Lord" is honored by both Gabriel and Elizabeth. In Luke 18, Jesus explains that the self-righteousness of the Pharisees and his own disciples does not win Heaven, where humble prayers are heard and pure hearts are welcome. Author Sara Beth Meyer and illustrator Allison Hsu perfect a format and design created in their first books, The Gospel of Ma...

There has been no greater promoter of the family Rosary than Venerable Patrick Peyton. Known around the world as “the Rosary Priest,” he dedicated his life to the Blessed Mother and to the prayer that most powerfully unites families in faith. In The Family That Prays Together Stays Together, readers are invited to pray the Rosary along with Peyton, entering into the rhythms and mysteries of this devotion to deepen their relationship with Mary and strengthen their bond with her Son, Jesus Chri...

St. Paschal Baylon was born on the feast of Pentecost in 1540 in Terre Hermosa, Spain. His parents were poor and grew up tending animals. He was endowed with great piety, and soon gained the respect of the other boys. After receiving a vision, he was inspired to become a Franciscan, and though he was offered a great fortune as an inheritance, nevertheless at 24, begged to be received by the Friars minor at Monteforte. He could always be found with a rosary and had great devotion to the Blesse...

The Ascent of the Mind to God stands apart from St. Robert Bellarmine’s apologetical writings as a deeply personal spiritual work. Composed after a retreat in 1614, Bellarmine affectionately called it his “Benjamin,” the child of his old age, and the first of a series of spiritual reflections that have nourished Christians for centuries. Structured around fifteen steps of a spiritual ladder, the book begins with the human person—man as a “microcosm” of creation—inspired by the foundational pr...

The amazing life of Blessed Nicholas Factor tells of a miracle working saint from the 16th century. As a child of five, Nicholas already manifested signs of his future sanctity. He fasted three times a week and gave the food he did not touch to the poor. With cheerful words he comforted the sick, and on visiting the leper hospital, he would at times kiss the wounds of the afflicted persons. A Moorish maid in his home was so affected at the conduct of the holy child that she was attracted to t...

Hope is truly a lifesaver! Whether we have struggled through a world-wide pandemic, are dealing with seemingly hopeless diagnoses, losses, family troubles, or whatever else that might have caused us to become tempted to give up on hope, we should realize that God is certainly the foundation of our every hope. He will forever be. We need to continue to hope in His loving promises. He will never leave us! And He gifted us with the most eminent gift ever -- His own Mother! This book presents man...

Meet your new guide and intercessor on the journey to holiness. Venerable Bruno Lanteri lived through tumultuous times -- war, revolution, and Jansenism were all raging -- yet he prayerfully accompanied his spiritual directees and encouraged them to have patience and hope amid life's challenges. This treasure trove of letters that Venerable Bruno wrote to his spiritual children will provide you with life-enhancing wisdom that you can ponder and take to heart again and again. A common enemy in...

Our Lord entrusted a very special revelation to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque: the Heart of Jesus longs for your heart.This divine revelation inspired numerous saints to know, receive, and adore Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist and to quench His thirst for our love by cultivating friendships, performing spiritual and corporal works of mercy, undertaking missionary endeavors, and imitating His Sacred Heart in daily life.The current Jubilee of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which commemorates the 350th ...

How recollected are you during the Collect, the Opening Prayer at Mass? To assist you in entering more deeply into the Mass and the mysteries of this sacred season, Fr. Edward Looney offers short daily meditations and reflection questions so that you may absorb all the richness of the prayers in the liturgy.Whether over a cup of coffee or while resting in the Lord's Presence before or after Mass, these meditations inspire both fruitful contemplation and vibrant group discussion. Fr. Looney re...

In the eternal battle for souls, prayer is our greatest weapon.In this book on spiritual warfare, acclaimed author and radio host Jesse Romero emphasizes the importance of prayer in facing our modern crises, especially for men who are the heads of their households.He reminds us that the faculty of prayer is both a gift and a protective weapon from God. Far from a passive routine, it is an intrepid action in which we directly encounter the divine and drive away the diabolic.Romero identifies t...

One day in the early 1990s, while praying the Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary on his knees in front of the Tabernacle, Fr. Bradley heard the Holy Spirit telling him: "Write this down!" He was given a meditation about the Annunciation. Thus was born a 10-year journey of inspired meditations on every bead of the Traditional Rosary. From then on, not knowing when the Holy Spirit would give him another meditation, Father brought a yellow legal pad with him for his Rosaries by the Tabernacle. He sa...

"How They Love Mary: 28 Life-Changing Stories of Devotion to Our Lady" by Edward Looney is a powerful 30-day devotional designed to invigorate your love and reverence for the Mother of God by exploring how holy men and women throughout history have venerated Mary. From St. Damian of Molokai to Padre Pio and from St. Francis of Assisi to St. Thomas Aquinas, this book reveals new ways of honoring Mary that may have never crossed your mind, aiming to inspire you towards holiness and a deeper lov...

When Servant of God Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres received her famous apparitions -- the Quito apparitions -- from Our Lady, she was so appalled that she died. A doctor confirmed her shocking death. But thankfully, when her sisters prayed, she was raised to life again. Here James Valois masterfully recounts the stunning prophecies of Our Lady of Good Success of the Purification, which, though they occurred four hundred years ago in the capital city of Ecuador, concern the current crisis in t...

God's Solution to a Civilization in Crisis  "How can we save civilization?" It's becoming a common question. As the world descends into chaos, Christians are thinking deeply about how to stem the tide. Many options have been presented to overcome Christian persecution and cultural decadence, but the The Marian Option is one that is already in motion...and has been for centuries. Dr. Carrie Gress provides a thoroughly researched account of the significant cultural and military events where Mar...

At the beginning of the famous encounter between St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe, as Diego ascends Tepeyac Hill, he is suddenly surrounded by beautiful music and wondrous sights, whereupon he asks himself, "Where am I? Could this be the place that our ancestors spoke of -- the Flower World Paradise in the land of heaven?" With these words, St. Juan Diego ties his encounter to an ancient indigenous belief system -- a spiritual floral domain named "Flower World." This startling history...

"These pages do not pretend to furnish theologians and doctors with a new Mariology. My aim is much more modest; I am trying to reach many small souls, for whom a few rays of Holy Mary's beauty will suffice; that they may endlessly admire and better pronounce her name-after the Name of Jesus, the most beautiful of names." Dom Eugene Vandeur's Hail Mary is not another scholarly exegesis on each part of that ancient prayer; it is a poetic, passionate, expressive, rhythmic hymn of praise. In the...

This is the second edition of Dom Hubert van Zeller's short commentary on the Hail Mary which was part of his "In Other Words" series. Originally published in 1963, it has long been out of print. Permission has been granted by Downside Abbey Trustees to republish this wonderful work.