"The honor of Mary is so intimately connected with the honor and glory of Jesus that to deny the one is at the same time a denial of the other." – Bl. William Joseph Chaminade.

The Catholic Church has taught since Apostolic times that Jesus Christ can never be rightly known in isolation from his mother, the Blessed Virgin Mary. Rejecting the unique person and role of Our Lady Saint Mary in God's salvation plan leads inexorably to the rejection of Christ. Mary matters! And there can be no better place to search out the truth about the Holy Virgin Mary, and through her to discover and follow the true Jesus Christ, than in the writings of the Saints, Popes and Beatified of the Holy Catholic Church. Contributors include Blessed John Henry Newman, Saint Bonaventure, Blessed Henry Suso, Saint Louis Marie de Montfort, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Blessed Anne Catherine Emmerich, Saint Alphonsus de Liguori, and more. Includes more than 100 educational and inspirational quotations on the right understanding of Our Lady and the Church from dozens of important Saints, Popes and Blesseds spanning the ages, from the Second Century's St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lugdunum, to 20th Century Catholic luminaries Blessed Pope John Paul II and Blessed Mother Theresa of Calcutta. The book concludes with two special study sections – 1. an exploration of Marian apparitions around the world, including Our Lady's visitations at Guadalupe, Laus, La Salette, Lourdes, Pontmain, Fatima, Beauraing and Banneux, plus several lesser known apparition sites including the Holy Virgin's 1594 Ecuadorian appearance as Our Lady of Good Success, and 2. the complete text of The Little Office of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, patterned after the eight hours of the Divine Office, a Marian devotion that is prayed daily by members of the Confraternity of Mary Immaculate Queen. Lavishly Illustrated throughout with 78 full color Marian images.

Editor's Note:

My most difficult task as Editor of Saints, Popes and Blesseds Speak On The Blessed Virgin Mary: Veneration of Our Lady in the Holy Catholic Church in the Words of Her Greatest Saints, Mystics and Visionaries was not locating sufficient source material to paint a true and compelling portrait of Our Lady and her central role in the Catholic Church and in our lives. The saints have sung Mary's praises in literally millions of words since the First Century. The great challenge has been, rather, selecting from that ages-long chorus the few choice words to include in this work, those writings best suited to reveal the many facets of the jewel that is Mary the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and the Mother of us all, to those who would choose to know her in this generation, and through her, to discover and follow her true son, Jesus Christ.

I pray that I have succeeded. Whether you are a Marian scholar, a practitioner of Marian devotions and spirituality, a new Catholic just starting your journey of discovery, or even a non-Catholic curious to learn what the Catholic Church really teaches concerning the Holy Mother of God, this authoritative collection is sure to bless you with knowledge, inspiration, and most of all, with truth.

Rory Michael Fox

Sunday, May 13, 2012, The 95th Anniversary of Our Lady's First Appearance at Fatima, Portugal