On Friday, May 31st, at 8pm, Rome time, Pope Francis will pray the Rosary in St. Peter's Square, along with thousands of pilgrims. He will then give a reflection on why the Virgin Mary is important not only to the Church, but to him. It is well known that the Pope feels a strong devotion towards Our Lady. The day after he was elected, he went to the Basilica of St. Mary Major to pray before an image of the Virgin Mary.

If you could name ten virtues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, what would they be? Watch this video for a reflection on the list of ten virtues that St Louis de Montfort attributed to Our Lady in his writings.

The month of May, Mary's month, is drawing to a close. But our devotion to her should have increased and continue to grow as we go forward. The Church teaches that our devotion to her and lead us to follow her example more faithfully, and become more like her Son. Watch this video reflection for more!

Early on Sunday the feast of the Holy Trinity Pope Francis made his first Pastoral visit to a Diocese in Rome. The Pope addressing the children and the congregation present underlined the importance of praying to the Madonna. Mary, the Holy Father said is always in a hurry to help us, teaching us to understand God. She was there, the Pope added, to help her cousin Elizabeth when she was expecting her baby and she is always there when we need her.

Did you know that there are four dogmas of the Catholic Church, stating Mary's personal relationship with God and her role in human salvation. They are:

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Queen of the most holy Rosary, Help of Christians, refuge of the human race, victorious in all the battles of God, we prostrate ourselves in supplication before thy throne, in the sure hope of obtaining mercy and of receiving grace and timely aid in our present calamities, not through any merits of our own on which we do not rely, but only through the immense goodness of thy mother's Heart. In thee and in thy Immaculate Heart, at this grave hour of human history, do we put our trust; to thee we consecrate ourselves, not only with all of Holy Church, which is the mystical body of thy Son Jesus, and which is suffering in so many of her members, being subjected to manifold tribulations and persecutions, but also with the whole world, torn by discords, agitated with hatred, the victim of its own iniquities.

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The feast day to Mary Help of Christians has been celebrated in Australia since 1844 but the history to this day dates back to the start of the 1800's.

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In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI wrote a letter to the Catholic Church in China, expressing his loving concern for them and his prayerful support. Toward the end of the letter, he wrote:

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The Queen of Heaven is so revered for her relationship with Christ and her love and guidance of her earthly children, the Catholic Church has dedicated the month of May in her honor. In his 1965 encyclical, “Mense Maio,” Pope Paul VI wrote about the importance of Mary’s intercession for all the world, explaining that those who encounter her, encounter her Son, Jesus:

At the Holy Father’s personal request, Cardinal Jose Polycarp, the Patriarch of Lisbon, consecrated the pontificate of Pope Francis to Our Lady of Fatima on her feast day.

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