“All generations will call me blessed” — Luke 1:48

Mother Mary

Mary of Nazareth, the mother of Jesus, is honoured by Christians everywhere. Catholics and Orthodox call her the Mother of God and believe she still cares for her children, sometimes appearing to them with a message from heaven.

Her lifeWhat the Church teachesHer names around the worldWhere she appearedMiraclesPrayers

Her life

Birth — Born to Saints Joachim and Anne (names from 2nd-century tradition), probably in Nazareth or Jerusalem, around 20–15 BC. Feast of her birth: 8 September.
The Annunciation — As a young woman engaged to Joseph, the angel Gabriel greets her: “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” She answers: “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:26–38).
The Visitation — She visits her cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, and sings the Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55).
Birth of Jesus in Bethlehem; presentation in the Temple, where Simeon tells her “a sword will pierce your soul” (Luke 2).
Wedding at Cana — She asks Jesus to help when the wine runs out: “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5). His first miracle follows.
At the Cross — She stands by her dying Son; Jesus gives her to St John as his mother (John 19:25–27).
Pentecost — She prays with the Apostles when the Holy Spirit comes (Acts 1:14).
End of her earthly life — Catholics believe she was taken up body and soul into heaven (the Assumption, 15 August). The Orthodox call it the Dormition (“falling asleep”). Tradition places this in Jerusalem (Tomb of Mary, Kidron Valley) or Ephesus, Turkey, where she lived with St John (House of the Virgin Mary).

What the Church teaches about Mary

Mother of God

Because Jesus is God, his mother is Theotokos, “God-bearer” — defined at the Council of Ephesus, AD 431.

Ever-Virgin

Mary remained a virgin before, during and after Jesus' birth (taught since the early Church; affirmed 649 at the Lateran Council).

Immaculate Conception

She was kept free from original sin from the moment she was conceived — defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854. Feast: 8 December.

Assumption

At the end of her life she was taken body and soul into heavenly glory — defined by Pope Pius XII in 1950.

Different Christian views. The Orthodox share belief in Mary as Mother of God, Ever-Virgin and in her Dormition, but do not use the Catholic definition of the Immaculate Conception. Most Protestants honour Mary as the faithful mother of Jesus and a model of faith, but do not pray to her or accept the later doctrines. Catholics and Orthodox stress that Mary is not worshipped — worship belongs to God alone — but is honoured and asked to pray for us, as we might ask a friend to pray.

Her names around the world

Mary is loved in every culture and is known by many local titles, often linked to an apparition, a famous image or a shrine.

TitleRegion / countryOrigin

Where Mary has appeared

An apparition is when Mary is seen by one or more people. The local bishop investigates; only a few are officially approved as “worthy of belief”. Catholics are not required to believe in any apparition — they are private revelations that point back to the Gospel. Below are the most famous Church-approved apparitions, plus some well-known ones with a different status (clearly marked).

Choose Detailed version to read the full story and miracles of each apparition.

Miracles linked to Mary

WhenWhereMiracle
c. AD 28Cana, GalileeAt Mary's request Jesus turns water into wine — his first miracle (John 2).
1531Mexico CityImage of Our Lady appears on St Juan Diego's cloak (tilma), which still survives after nearly 500 years; roses bloom in December on Tepeyac hill.
1640Calanda, Spain“Miracle of Calanda”: Miguel Juan Pellicer's amputated leg reported restored after prayer to Our Lady of the Pillar; recorded by a notary and judged by the Archbishop of Zaragoza in 1641.
1842RomeAlphonse Ratisbonne, a Jewish banker wearing the Miraculous Medal, sees Mary in the church of Sant'Andrea delle Fratte and converts; he becomes a priest.
1858–todayLourdes, FranceAbout 7,000 cures reported to the Lourdes Medical Bureau; 72 officially declared miraculous by the Church (the 72nd, Antonietta Raco of Italy, announced April 2025).
13 Oct 1917Fátima, Portugal“Miracle of the Sun” — about 70,000 people, including sceptical journalists, see the sun dance and spin after heavy rain, and their clothes become suddenly dry.
1968–1970Zeitoun, Cairo, EgyptLuminous apparitions above St Mary's Coptic church seen by huge crowds of Christians and Muslims, photographed and shown on Egyptian TV; approved by Coptic Pope Kyrillos VI.
1973–1981Akita, JapanA wooden statue of Mary weeps 101 times; Sr Agnes Sasagawa's deafness is healed. Approved by Bishop John Ito, 1984.
1989 & 2013Portugal & BrazilHealings approved for the Fátima children: Maria Emília Santos, paralysed for 22 years (beatification, 2000), and Lucas Baptista, a boy with a severe brain injury (canonisation of Francisco and Jacinta Marto, 2017).

Prayers to Mary

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 of our death. Amen.

The first part comes from the words of the angel Gabriel and of Elizabeth (Luke 1:28, 42).

The Rosary

The Rosary is a prayer of meditation on the life of Jesus with Mary, using a string of beads: the Apostles' Creed, Our Father, ten Hail Marys and the Glory Be, repeated for five “mysteries”.

Sources & further reading