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Credo Catholic
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| Joined: | Sat May 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Greenville, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 1479 |
| First Name: | Marsha | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Sat Jun 9th, 2007 11:49 am |
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| Is there a good website or book to explain the graces of Our Lady of Grace? I know the "rays" from her hands are the graces available to us which no one asks for, but I'm not sure what this means. Are these graces virtues? Or special favors? I googled Our Lady of Grace and got lots of parishes named after her but no info. It seems like every place I turn lately I see that image! I found it on a rosary that I'd had hanging on my bedpost for a year, used a few times to say the rosary, but had never looked closely at the "center" image of her. They are all over my house! Last edited on Sat Jun 9th, 2007 07:16 pm by Credo Catholic
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
| Posts: | 2274 |
| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Jun 10th, 2007 06:49 pm |
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Marsha, data on Our Lady of Grace seem to be as scarce as hen’s teeth. Using some specialized web search software, I managed to find this page, which gives a few general ideas. Because it is on a university website, I give it somewhat greater credence than several others which give even less information, and that of undetermined accuracy. In no case have I encountered any supporting evidence or related devotional material.
The page linked above has a link which take the user to another page which addresses the question, “Where does the title, Our Lady of Grace, originate?” It refers to an icon, however, and not to more general information.
Several sites mention that the image of Mary on the Miraculous Medal, which was given in a vision to the French mystic St. Catherine Labouré a couple of centuries ago, is that of Our Lady of Grace. This appears to be a coincidence, not substantial devotion to Our Lady of Grace as such, since there is no mention of that title connected with the Miraculous Medal.
One site, describing a statue of Our Lady of Grace featured in a certain parish church, makes the unsubstantiated statement that “Devotion to ‘Our Lady of Grace’ grew out of an appearance of the Blessed Mother of our Lord to St. Dominic in the year 1631. Our Lady of Grace symbolically has been associated with our prayers for the faithful departed — the ‘Church Expectant’.” There is apparently no way, outside of serious scholarship, to find out whether there is any truth to this assertion.
Finally, in spite of the fact that there are many statues and pictures of Our Lady of Grace available, and many parish churches by the same name, it appears that devotion to Mary under this title is pretty much extinct. Trivia: About 1957 or 58, before I became Catholic, a Catholic girlfriend gave me a holy card with her image and a prayer; but the paper on which it was printed eventually disintegrated, so I no longer have it. A number of holy cards with images of Our Lady of Grace are available, but all prayers, messages or devotional information associated with them is taken from other devotions.
David
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Credo Catholic
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| Joined: | Sat May 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Greenville, South Carolina USA |
| Posts: | 1479 |
| First Name: | Marsha | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Baptist, Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Jun 10th, 2007 08:53 pm |
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| Thank you very much David. I looked under Marian apparitions and found nothing. I see the image in a lot of places and was wondering how it came about. I will check the link you posted. Thanks again!
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CajunRick
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5457 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sun Jun 10th, 2007 10:51 pm |
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Credo Catholic wrote: Thank you very much David. I looked under Marian apparitions and found nothing. I see the image in a lot of places and was wondering how it came about. I will check the link you posted. Thanks again!
Many of the titles of Mary do not result from apparitions. For example, Our Lady of Prompt Succor is a commonly honored title of Mary in southeast Louisiana. It results from prayers for protection during a fire in 1812 and became a devotion established after the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, and a promise by the Ursulines of New Orleans to honor her perpetually by that title. To my knowledge, she is not honored by that title anywhere else in the world. You can read more about devotions to Our Lady of Prompt Succor here.
Our Lady of Prompt Succor is the principal patron of the city of New Orleans, the Archdiocese of New Orleans, and the state of Louisiana, and her feast day is January 8, the date of the Battle of New Orleans. That feast is celebrated throughout the state of Louisiana by special papal indult, although I believe it is only mandatory in the Archdiocese of New Orleans.
No doubt there are countless similar titles for Our Lady that are localized in their observance.
 Here is a picture of the statue of Our Lady of Prompt Succor.
Attachment: OurLadyPromptSuccor.jpg (Downloaded 30 times)
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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Credo Catholic
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Posted: Sun Jun 10th, 2007 11:57 pm |
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| Thanks Rick. The images of Mary are all so beautiful and seem to beckon us to her and her Son. I had thought there was an apparition because of something Mother Angelica said about a statue of Our Lady of Grace. Our Lady apparently said something to the effect that the rays coming from her hands were graces that were available to us that we never ask for, and it made Jesus sad that we didn't ask for them. I'm pretty sure that's what I heard. I will keep looking and let you know what I find.
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David W. Emery
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| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Brownsville, Texas USA |
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| First Name: | David | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Catholic |
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Posted: Mon Jun 11th, 2007 12:16 am |
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Our Lady apparently said something to the effect that the rays coming from her hands were graces that were available to us that we never ask for, and it made Jesus sad that we didn't ask for them.
I’ve heard that, too, so it’s not just a figment of your imagination. But it’s been a long time, and I couldn’t find any reference to it, so I just passed over your question earlier.
David
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Tina in Ashburn
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| Joined: | Mon May 21st, 2007 |
| Location: | Ashburn, Virginia USA |
| Posts: | 282 |
| First Name: | Tina | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Cradle Roman Catholic, Ukranian Catholic, presently practicing as Roman Latin ... |
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Posted: Mon Jun 11th, 2007 04:27 pm |
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Marsha, I too looked up OL of Grace and was equally surprised to find little. If David and Rick who come up with the most amazing answers had little luck, then I don't feel so silly.
There are so many good things about this site - and here's an example, I realized I don't know the story behind OL of Grace and had to search. Good question!!!
Marsha, I can add a little of what I do know: Mary is known as the Mediatrix of Graces. [There is discussion about getting this officially defined because this understanding permeates Church history and writings.] This means God uses Mary as a mediator to man through which God gives graces. Our Lady of Grace is an illustration of this definition. We can wear the Miraculous Medal which depicts OL of Grace to remind ourselves to ask Mary for graces we need. As we wear the medal we are told to pray its inscription "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to you." This medal is very powerful and many, many conversions and healings are ascribed to it, earning it the name of "miraculous". As you may know, the medal got started by a nun, St Catherine Laboure, to whom Mary appeared and requested that such a medal be created. In the apparition Mary's fingers were covered with rings whose precious jewels sparkled brilliantly and showered down innumerable rays of light. Mary said, "These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The jewels which give no rays symbolize the graces that are not given because they are not asked for."
What Mother Angelica meant is Mary can "fill the gap" for us when we don't know specifically know for what to ask God. We normally confuse what we WANT with what we NEED. Or we struggle and don't think to ask for any help at all from God. By asking Mary's help, she in her role as Mediatrix, gets from God the graces we don't even know we need. So in this way, Mary gives us the help we don't even know we need. All we simply do is turn to her in trust and ask for graces from her. But we need to say that. Mary wants us to pray. She helps with details.
Just as God worked through Mary to bring us Jesus, He continues to work through Mary to bring us His other gifts.
More information and links for St Catherine and the Miraculous Medal at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Labour%C3%A9
on Mary Mediatrix http://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/marya4.htm and http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/MEDIATRI.HTM
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Tina
Arlington Diocese
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Credo Catholic
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Posted: Mon Jun 11th, 2007 05:34 pm |
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| Wow Tina, that was a great help! It fits in with what David and Rick said but also explains a little more. Today's rosary was the joyful mysteries and I just feel Mary's presence so strongly. I was given a penance in confession not long ago to pray the decade of the Visitation between Mary and Elizabeth and to imagine myself being included in that meeting of saintly women. The priest asked if I could do that? I thought, of all the beautiful things to try and imagine, that has to be close to the best!
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