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Somethings about Mary in August 2011

Many, many thanks to Alma, Angela, Beatrice, Cheri, Christopher, Dabelu, Dana, Eric, Ezinne Maria, Fatima, Felcy, Geraldo, Gerry, Jeraldine, Josephine, Katie, Kieran, Kosi, Madalyn, Manuella, Father Michael OCD, Father Neil, Poppy, Rima, Stan, Tapiwa & Teresa, for giving their 'something' about Mary.

This picture of Mary and the child Jesus is the icon of Maria Salus Populi Romani, in the Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. Her feast day, Our Lady of the Snows, is on the 5th August.

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If you'd like to give Our Lady a metaphorical bunch of flowers by saying your something about Mary, please do contact the Totus2us team.

Our Lady's message to Mirjana, at the Blue Cross on Apparition Hill Međugorje, 2 August 2011:

"Dear children; Today I call you to be born anew in prayer and through the Holy Spirit, to become a new people with my Son; a people who knows that if they have lost God, they have lost themselves; a people who knows that, with God, despite all sufferings and trials, they are secure and saved. I call you to gather into God's family and to be strengthened with the Father's strength. As individuals, my children, you cannot stop the evil that wants to begin to rule in this world and to destroy it. But, according to God's will, all together, with my Son, you can change everything and heal the world. I call you to pray with all your heart for your shepherds, because my Son chose them. Thank you."

5th August - Feast of Our Lady of the Snows - Geraldo       

"It's quite difficult to talk about Mary because my experience of her is so subjective. There are no words to translate the feeling I have when I pray; when I talk to her, it's unbelievable - I love her."

Geraldo is from Brazil and gives his algo sobre Maria in English & Portuguese.

6th August - Feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord - Tapiwa       

"Our Lady is like a mother to me. I pray to Our Lady for strength in family life, to be the friend, to be the brother and to be the husband I would like to be. Our Lady for me is a source of compassion, a source of kindness, very much like my own mother who isn't with me at the moment. Praying to Our Lady gives me a sense of protection and gives me a sense of refuge and safety and asking her to intercede for me and my prayers gives me a sense that there is a mother in heaven who is guiding and protecting me."

Tapiwa is from Zimbabwe.

7th August - Alma       

"I have lived my life, all my life with prayer, and God and Mary have really helped a lot."

Alma is from Lithuania.

8th August - Feast of St Dominic - Manuella       

"I don't see why we cannot ask our Mum to protect us and intercede for us. ..
Io prego la Madonna perché interceda per me presso suo filio and presso Dio. .. Lei è una bellissima Mama, è una santa Mama."

Manuella is from Italy.

9th August - Feast of St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross - Rima      

"For me the image of Our Lady that strikes me most and moves me most is Our Lady of Mount Carmel. So the Carmelite tradition which says that in the first Book of Kings the cloud that rose, no larger than a man's hand, and that foresaw the rain that was to come after the years of drought, is Our Lady, and Our Lady points to the rain that comes which is Christ, and brings the rain of grace. So Our Lady is there in times of real drought and she points to Christ and that to me is the strongest image of Our Lady."

Rima is from London.

10th August - Fatima       

"Mother Mary is always helping me, any time of the day or during the night. Whenever I call on her she is always beside me. She helps me in all my trouble. Whenever I call on her name she is always there to listen to me and help me. So that is why I am very grateful to her and I always will be."

Fatima is from India (Goa) and gives her something about Mary in Hindi; her friend, Felcy, translates the English.

11th August - Feast of St Clare of Assisi - Felcy       

"I know that Mother Mary is helping me a lot. Thank you, Mother Mary."

Felcy is from India.

12th August - Kieran       

"Our Lady is the hope of mankind, she's the joy of mankind; the sweetest, loveliest woman who's lived. She's a presence and grace for all of us. She shows us how we can be fully human, she reveals Christ. She's the way to salvation, she's a friend who's always with us; she gives us strength. She's grace, blessing, and hope for our troubled world, a way through our own problems; she shows us the sanctity of life who's sweetness, kindness, love personified and we have an obligation to devote ourselves to her and her Immaculate Heart."

Kieran is from Ireland.

13th August - Gerry       

"I find that when I really have special need or when I have special concerns that invariably the thought of Mary pops into my mind, and it becomes very real and very important in this process. It's very hard to explain because my natural instinct would be to go to the Highest Power but I find that Mary for some reason is a real source of consolation and love and takes on added importance during those times."

Gerry is from Washington DC in the United States.

14th August - Feast of St Maximilian Maria Kolbe - Father Neil       

"Our Lady is the one who is supporting me as I stand 'in persona Christi', in the person on her son, at the altar."

Father Neil is from England.

15th August - Feast of the Assumption of Mary - Jeraldine       

"Slowly, as things happened in my life, I began to realise the importance of Our Lady and what a good example she has been to me. The most important thing that really inspires me about her is her assumption and how a human being like her could surrender her will completely to God and be rewarded with such glory through the assumption, and not to die but go directly and be in unity with God. "

Jeraldine is from the Philippines.

16th August - Katie       

"I look at Mary and Mary had this perfect man in Joseph and she was perfect herself. And Joseph was just such a great man and I caught myself a few of weeks ago praying to Mary that I've got this wonderful man in my life and just trying to appeal to her on that level of watching over our relationship because she had found something so incredible and I've found something so incredible."

Katie is 22 & from the United States of America.

17th August - Beatrice       

"Mother Mary, she's done a lot for me, she means a lot to me and my family. With the four kids I've had, I called upon her when I was in labour and she interceded immediately. If I'm in difficult moments, I call upon her, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, she comes immediately and intercedes. So she's been a great intercessor .. I feel people should endeavour to honour her - whatever you call her, she will be able to listen to you."

Beatrice is from Nigeria.

18th August - Dabelu       

"There's a lot that the Virgin Mary has done for me - she has given me loving parents and good sisters and siblings. She's like a mother to me, a first mother. She takes my family so well I think I should keep singing her praises."

Dabelu is 10 years old & from Nigeria.

19th August - Feast of St John Eudes - Father Michael OCD       

"Our Lady is mother for me. I love the image of her standing at the foot of the Cross and for me she stands with me, she cares for me, she supports me and prays for me.   "

Father Michael McGoldrick, from Ireland, is currently Prior at the Avila Carmelite Centre in Dublin.

20th August - Ezinne Maria       

"I want to say thank you to Mother Mary and I want to say one Hail Mary for what I've said now: Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of hour death. Amen."

Ezinne Maria is 5 years old and from Nigeria.

21st August - Kosi       

"I thank Mother Mary for what she has done for me."

Kosi is 7 years old and from Nigeria.

22nd August - Feast of the Coronation of Mary - Poppy       

"Our Lady is the Queen of Heaven - what does that mean? That means that she is our mother and she loves us. And she desires with her whole heart for us to be close to Jesus, and if we turn to her in prayer she can help us. And that to me is something that's tremendously wonderful and beautiful: God has given us this gift of his own mother to intercede for us, to help us, to be our mother. The Queen of Heaven can help us and intercede for us so that one day we can meet our Creator."

Poppy is 25 & from England.

23rd August - Feast of St Rose of Lima - Dana       

"Looking at an image of Our Lady gives you an unbelievable strength and a hope that you look forward to good things happening to you and the strength to do your best, to help the other and not just to give up."

Dana is 28 & has been living in London; she gives her response in English & Italian.

24th August - Feast of St Bartholomew - Josephine       

"For me Our Lady makes me feel comfort and a sense of peace."

Josephine is originally from Goa in India.

25th August - Angela       

"My understanding of Mary has really grown; of her being not just a mother who's there to support me but a mother who's there to encourage me and lead me. And I've been really growing in the knowledge of her as that first disciple. She's just so awesome because she leads us, she leads the way to her son."

Angela is from England.

Our Lady of Medjugorje's message to Marija, 25 August 2011:

"Dear children! Today I call you to pray and fast for my intentions, because Satan wants to destroy my plan. Here I began with this parish and invited the entire world. Many have responded, but there is an enormous number of those who do not want to hear or accept my call. Therefore, you who have said ‘yes’, be strong and resolute. Thank you for having responded to my call."

"Cari figli, oggi vi invito a pregare e a digiunare per le mie intenzioni, perché satana vuole distruggere il mio piano. Ho iniziato qui con questa parrocchia e ho invitato il mondo intero. Molti hanno risposto ma è enorme il numero di coloro che non vogliono sentire ne accettare il mio invito. Perciò voi che avete pronunciato il SI, siate forti e decisi. Grazie per aver risposto alla mia chiamata."

"¡Queridos hijos! Hoy los invito a orar y a ayunar por mis intenciones, porque satanás quiere destruir mi plan. Aquí inicié con esta parroquia y he llamado al mundo entero. Muchos han respondido, sin embargo, es enorme el número de aquellos que no desean escuchar ni aceptar mi invitación. Por eso, ustedes que han dicho Sí, sean fuertes y decididos. ¡Gracias por haber respondido a mi llamado!"

26th August - Stan       

"At the wedding at Cana after Our Lord told Our Lady that it was not yet his time, she doesn't even respond to him but tells the stewards to 'do what he tells you.' She knows that her boy is going to listen to his mother. We can place our complete trust in Our Lady."

Stan is from Canada.

27th August - Feast of St Monica - Teresa       

"I was in Fatima with my husband and we were sitting at the shrine and I had a sense that Our Lady was standing beside me; very powerful. And in fact I had felt very conscious that something would happen when we were making the journey to Fatima. And I believe she said to me "Teresa, pray the rosary and you will know me." Now, most of my life I've had tremendous difficulty in saying the rosary and I just felt this was a tremendous indication from Our Lady the significance of saying the rosary, how it can transform lives, and can actually bring a unity to the Catholic Church. If the rosary is said on a daily basis, we will certainly grow and Our Lady will protect us at all times."

Teresa is from the UK.

28th August - Feast of St Augustine - Madalyn       

"Mary to me is a like a support beam, especially when it comes to relationships and trying to keep that purity and chastity and she is really someone you can look up to in those kinds of situations."

Madalyn is 17 today and from the United States.
Wishing you a very blessed, joyfilled, happy birthday, dear Madalyn :o)

29th August - Christopher       

"It's an easy reminder to have rosaries because when I see the rosary I think of our sinless, beautiful Mother and it just makes me more prayerful and spiritual."

Christopher is 17 and from the United States of America.

30th August - Feast of St Margaret Clitherow - Cheri       

"For me Mary is the ultimate role model, she has this love for all of her children - to be so pure for her entire life and to dedicate it to God, no matter how much hurt was there for her. I just remember watching Passion of the Christ, and as much as Christ has done for us, that was the forefront, but what really struck me was her love and her trust in God, that it was always 'God, Thy will be done' no matter how much suffering she was going through."

Cheri is from the United States.

31st August - Eric       

"Mary, for me as a youth minister, is a wonderful example to the youth that I minister to, because her entire life points to God. Every moment of every day she pointed to Christ and she wanted people to follow her son."

Eric is from the state of Virginia, in the United States.