50 Fun Facts About Virgin Mary

In which town did Mary live when the angel announced she would bear Jesus?

She and Joseph later raised Jesus there after his birth in Bethlehem.

Which angel told Mary she would conceive through the Holy Spirit?

Her reply: 'I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done unto me according to your word.'

Mary's Hebrew name is usually rendered in English as what?

The English 'Mary' comes via the Greek Maria, a shortened form of Mariam.

According to the apocryphal Gospel of James, who were Mary's parents?

The same text says she was given to Temple service at age three.

Elizabeth, Mary's relative, descended from Aaron and so belonged to which tribe?

Some argue Mary herself, like Joseph, was of the royal Davidic line of Judah.

Which canticle did Mary speak after Elizabeth called her 'the mother of my Lord'?

It is named from the first word of its Latin version.

How did Joseph learn that Mary's child was conceived by the Holy Spirit?

He had planned to divorce her quietly.

To which country did the family flee to escape King Herod, according to Matthew?

They returned to Nazareth rather than Bethlehem after Herod died in 4 BC.

In John's Gospel, Mary first appears at which event?

John never mentions her name; she is 'the mother of Jesus'.

In Acts 1, where is Mary named among those gathered after returning from Mount Olivet?

She is the only person besides the eleven apostles named there.

According to John's Gospel, Mary went to live with which figure after the crucifixion?

Tradition identifies him as John the Evangelist.

The claim that Mary's last home was in Asia Minor rests on the visions of which 19th-century nun?

Pilgrims now call the site the House of the Virgin Mary.

What does the Greek title Theotokos mean?

Latin renders it Dei Genitrix or Deipara.

Which council in 431 decreed that Mary is the Theotokos?

The council reasoned that her son is one person, both God and man.

Which ancient prayer, the oldest known to Mary, already used the phrase 'Mother of God'?

Its text dates to around 250 and was found on papyrus.

The Church of the East historically called Mary by what title instead of Theotokos?

The Assyrian Church of the East still uses the term in its liturgy.

The Immaculate Conception holds that Mary was free from what from the moment she was conceived?

It is often confused with the virginal conception of Jesus.

Which pope defined the Immaculate Conception as dogma in 1854?

He did so in the bull Ineffabilis Deus.

On what date is the feast of the Immaculate Conception kept?

It falls exactly nine months before the September 8 feast of Mary's nativity.

In the medieval dispute over the Immaculate Conception, which order's 'Scotists' argued in favour?

Dominican Thomists were on the other side.

Which pope defined the Assumption of Mary as dogma in 1950?

The apostolic constitution was Munificentissimus Deus.

On which date is the Assumption celebrated?

Eastern churches keep the Dormition the same day.

What do Eastern Christians call the feast of Mary's death and taking up into heaven?

The word means 'falling asleep'.

Which council in 553 gave Mary the title Aeiparthenos, 'Perpetual Virgin'?

Pope Martin I stressed 'before, during and after' at the Lateran Synod of 649.

How many Marian dogmas does the Catholic Church hold?

Mother of God, Perpetual Virginity, Immaculate Conception and Assumption.

On what date is the feast of the Annunciation kept?

It sits nine months before Christmas; in England it was long known as Lady Day.

Until 1752, the Annunciation marked the start of the year in which country?

France had moved New Year to 1 January with the 1564 Edict of Roussillon.

Luke says the Annunciation happened in which month of Elizabeth's pregnancy?

Elizabeth was carrying John the Baptist.

In the revised Western calendar, the Visitation is now usually kept on which date?

The traditional Western date was 2 July; the East keeps 30 March.

By what Latin name is the Hail Mary also known?

It is also called the Angelic Salutation.

In the 13th century the Hail Mary consisted only of the two Gospel greetings plus what?

Thomas Aquinas's commentary on the prayer shows this.

In Western Christianity, Mary's canticle of praise is most often sung at which daily service?

Anglicans sing it at Evensong.

A decade of the Rosary is a set of how many Hail Marys?

Each decade is preceded by an Our Father and followed by a Glory Be.

Which pope added the Luminous Mysteries to the Rosary in 2002?

That brought the mysteries from 15 to 20.

Which 16th-century pope standardised the 15 Mysteries of the Rosary?

Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious, five each.

The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on 7 October marks which 1571 naval victory?

It was originally called the Feast of Our Lady of Victory.

How many decades are usually recited in one Rosary session?

Each decade is an occasion to meditate on one mystery.

To whom did Our Lady of Guadalupe appear in 1531?

She also appeared once to his uncle, Juan Bernardino.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is venerated on what object?

The tilma is enshrined in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City.

Which title did the pope give Our Lady of Guadalupe in 1999, alongside 'Protectress of Unborn Children'?

She had earlier been proclaimed Queen of Mexico and Patroness of the Americas.

How old was Bernadette Soubirous when she reported the Lourdes apparitions in 1858?

She reported 18 apparitions in all, starting on 11 February.

The Lourdes apparitions took place at which grotto?

Bernadette was collecting firewood with her sister when it began.

Which pope canonised Bernadette Soubirous in 1933?

At Lourdes the Lady had identified herself as the Immaculate Conception.

How many shepherd children reported the 1917 Fátima apparitions?

Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto.

The Fátima apparitions were reported between 13 May and 13 October 1917; how many were there?

Lúcia later reported a seventh.

Francisco and Jacinta Marto died young in which global event?

Francisco died at ten in 1919; Jacinta at nine in 1920.

The 1879 apparition at Knock, Ireland, was unusual for being what?

Most reported apparitions involve spoken messages.

In Islam, Mary is known by what name?

She is the only woman named in the Quran.

Roughly how many times is Mary mentioned or referred to in the Quran?

A whole sura is named after her, the only one named for a woman.

Which Protestant reformer wrote that Mary was 'proclaimed to be entirely without sin'?

Calvin also said God granted her 'the highest honor' but rejected her intercession.