She is history's most famous woman, venerated in each corner of the globe. Cathedrals have been built in her honor. Schools, states, cities and religious orders bear her name. Apparitions of her have captured the attention of the world, and miracles have been attributed to her intercession.
For over two thousand years, the Catholic Church has spread devotion to the Mother of God, bringing all the faithful under her maternal mantle. In this single volume, Fr. Ed Broom has compiled an exhaustive encyclopedia of the myriad ways Catholics from the early Church to today have venerated the Virgin Mary. A sweeping tour of history reveals the fascinating and, at times, miraculous origins of the Church's Marian prayers, dogmas, devotions, sacramentals, feasts and novenas. Still more, Father Broom succinctly clarifies the biblical and theological foundations of Marian devotion.
Whether a new convert or a lifelong lover of Our Lady, readers will:
- learn the theological and scriptural foundations of the four Marian dogmas all Catholics must believe;
- come to understand Old Testament typology of Mary, such as why she is called the New Eve and the New Ark of the Covenant;
- discover the origins of the Rosary, the Miraculous Medal, the Scapular, and so many more prayers and sacramentals;
- meet the saints who spread devotion to Mary during their heroic lives, including those who received visions of her;
- have a comprehensive resource of the Church's Marian feasts and prayers;
- be introduced to the art, architecture, literature, and music dedicated to the Virgin Mother throughout history.
And yet, above all else, Father Broom shows us how much our spiritual mother loves us and wants each of her children to enter the Sacred Heart of her Son.
Compendium of the Marian Devotions, beautifully designed and eloquently written, is a treasure that should grace the bookshelves of every Catholic home.
