Mr. De Manche, B.A., is the
co-editor of the Sacred Heart Messenger and a recipient of the
papal medal - Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice for his five decades of
work in Catholic journalism.
Devotion
to Mary can be traced back to the days of the early Church, both
in the East and West.
The zeal of the Apostles and
disciples carried the Christian faith into various countries and
part of this faith was a high prayerful reverence for Mary, the
mother of Christ.
While Christians in the West
were often driven underground by persecutions during the first
three centuries, many oratories and chapels with Mary's name were
built in the East. Tradition tells us much about this devotion
to Mary. For example, the oldest church with a Marian title was
founded by St. Peter himself on the coast of Phoenicia, called
Our Lady of Tortosa.
St. John, the beloved disciple
who took care of Our Lady after the crucifixion of Christ, dedicated
a church to her in Lydda which had a picture painted of Mary on
one of its pillars.
St. Luke, the evangelist, himself
painted a picture of Mary for the cathedral at Antioch. Later
St. Pulcheria, the empress, brought the picture to Constantinople
where she placed it in a beautiful temple - the Church of Hodegus.
This saint had three churches built in Mary's honor in that city.
It was at Ephesus in 431 that
the Third Ecumenical Council was held in a church dedicated to
Our Lady - the Miriam. There is where the Church's bishops gathered
and condemned Nestorius who had questioned the title of Mary as
"Mother of God." That night a great celebration was
held by the people in the streets of Ephesus, thus showing their
great love and devotion to Mary.
At the same Council St. Cyril
of Alexandria attested to the many churches with Marian titles
which had been founded "throughout the world."
Two other images of Mary which
were well known to Christians in Asia Minor were at Dydinia and
Sosopoli. It is recorded that St. Basil went to Dydinia to pray
to Our Lady during the terrible persecution by Julian, the Apostate.
At Sosopoli there was an image of Mary made of wood which give
forth a miraculous oil which led to many miracles.
While many churches to Our
Lady flourished in the East, Christians in the West often had
to celebrate the Eucharist in the catacombs where they also prayed
to Christ's mother. They carried under their cloaks small images
of Jesus and Mary. Their devotion expressed itself in frescoes
on the catacomb walls, such images as the Annunciation, or the
Nativity showing Mary with the Infant Jesus on her lap for the
Magi to adore.
Later, when Christians gained
full religious freedom in 313 through Constantinople's Edict of
Milan, they then built oratories, churches and basilicas, many
with Marian titles. For example, in Rome they constructed Santa
Maria in Trastevere and Santa Maria Antiqua - probably the oldest
Marian Church in that city.
So great was the devotion to
Mary by the 4th century that it went at times to the extreme and
had to be corrected by the Church. For example, a group of converts,
called Collyridians, began to offer oblations of cakes in adoration
to Mary! The Church had to step in and stress that worship is
due to God alone, while Mary may be highly honored as one of God's
favored creatures.
St. Epiphanius told them: "Let
Mary be held in honor. Let the Father, Son and Holy Ghost be adored,
but let no one adore Mary."
The Catholic Church has always
held Mary in the highest esteem, as God's unique creation, as
our Mother and helper, one who is close to her Divine Son, and
who hears and answers our prayers.
While Catholics have always
given first place to Christ, the God-Man, they believe that devotion
to Mary, his beloved Mother, goes hand in hand with devotion to
Christ. Mary, a true mother, has only one purpose - to lead us
closer to her Divine Son.
Thus, for the past 2000 years
devotion to Mary has been part and parcel of our Christian Faith,
which has been expressed in churches, paintings, sculptures, poems,
writings and processions to her in many Marian shrines around
the world, all of which began in the earliest days of Christianity,
in the very dawn of our Christian Faith!