In Honour of Our Lady
Miraculous Icons of the Mother Of God

Theotokos
THEOTOKOS:
MOTHER OF GOD
Said to be the oldest known prayer to Our Lady........
We turn to You for protection Holy Mother of God, listen to our prayers and help us in our needs. Save us from every danger, O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.
 
 

The name "Theotokos" means God-Bearer, and is derived from the Greek words "Theos," meaning God, and "Tokos," bearer. The Council of Ephesus in 431 settled a dispute where the Patriarch of Constantinople, Nestorius, held that the Blessed Virgin Mary was the Mother of Christ but not the Mother of God. The Council bishops held that Tradition had always referred to Our Lady as Theotokos, and thus defined Mary as the Mother of God.
 
Apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary have been occurring for 2000 years. It is said they began even before She died when She appeared to Saint James in Spain. Miraculous signs are usually associated with these appearances.
Icons of the Mother of God are extensions of Mary's association with us too, and many miracles have occurred by praying to Our Lady through Her many names and titles.
 
In the West we use holy pictures and statues to remind us of God and His Saints. Eastern Christians see these as powerful aids to prayerful contact with God. By praying with the gaze fixed on the eyes of the icon, these windows of the soul allow essential contact with the holy person being revered.
 
In Mary we have a perfect example of how God should be glorified. God made-man loved Her and wants us to love Her too. In our prayers we not only show our love for Her, but glorify Her Son. She refines our thoughts and messages and gives them to Jesus on our behalf.
 
Many different icons of the Mother of God are scattered throughout the world, and devotion to Her through these portraits has continued for centuries. These Web pages present just a few of the beloved images, which occupy a special place in the hearts of Catholics.
 
Icons of the Mother of God are not pictures, but images of revealed truths and are painted under the Divine inspiration after much fasting and prayer. They are held in reverence with almost the same honour given to the Scriptures because of the truths they show. People who reverence them spend much time in deep prayer.
 
Icons originated when few people could read and books were scarce. They can be likened to the stained glass windows in the West. After preparation through prayer and fasting, the iconographer is given an interior image which is then expressed outwardly. Rules govern the transcription so that the truths of the faith will be represented in a language which will be understood by all.
 
Note that the information on this site has been collected from various sources, presumably in the public domain. If I have infringed copyright inadvertently, please advise me by email.
 
 
 
 

THE REQUEST OF OUR BLESSED MOTHER FOR THE HOUR OF GRACE

THE TRADING CIRCLE - HELPING WOMEN TRADE OUT OF POVERTY

SISTERS OF THE GOOD SHEPHERD

 
Bishop Ricken Issues Formal Decree. Marian Apparitions at the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help are first and only in the U.S. to be approved by the Church!   Bishop's Coat-of-arms  

Bishop David Ricken announced on Wednesday, December 8th, that he officially approves the Marian apparitions that occurred on the the site of the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. The announcement was made during a special Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception held at the Shrine which is located at Champion, Wisconsin.

Reading from his decree, the Bishop stated, “I declare with moral certainty and in accord with the norms of the Church that the events, apparitions and locutions given to Adele Brise in October of 1859 do exhibit the substance of supernatural character, and I do hereby approve these apparitions as worthy of belief (although not obligatory) by the Christian faithful.”

This declaration makes the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help at Champion the first and only Marian shrine in the United States that is on the site of an approved apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. While the Bishops of Green Bay had given full support of the Shrine throughout its history as a place of prayer and pilgrimage, the Apparitions have never received formal Church approval. Along with his decree on the apparitions, Bishop Ricken further approved the Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help as an official Diocesan Shrine of Green Bay.

For more information: http://www.shrineofourladyofgoodhelp.com/

To light a candle at the shrine: http://www.shrineofourladyofgoodhelp.com/htmPages/g_pry_p1.html


 
 

 

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