A case of alleged supernatural messages in Amsterdam in the 1950s reportedly had our Lady presenting herself to the faithful under the title of "the Lady of all Nations" and asking the Pope to make a declaration of dogma about her as Co-redemptrix, Mediatrix, and Advocate. These titles are already well established in Catholic thought, and have an interesting application to the role of the Church as a means of grace and salvation, but with so many cases of false mysticism about, one has to be careful about signing on to some particular movement's proposals for the Church.
This May, the CDF (the Vatican's doctrinal office) has given a warning about one aspect of that "Lady of All Nations" devotion: a prayer associated with the messages, and found on Catholic sites such as EWTN's, raises the CDF's caution and is not to be used.
Abp. Angelo Amato, SDB, the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote on May 20:
With regard to the devotion known as 'Lady of All Nations' and the Marian apparitions experienced by the late visionary Ida Peerdeman, I wish to advise Your Excellency that although the said apparitions have received approval from His Excellency the Most Rev. Joseph Maria Punt, Bishop of Haarlem (Holland), in his Communications of 31 May 2002, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has expressed concern regarding one particular aspect of that devotion whereby official prayers invoke the Blessed Virgin as Lady of All Nations 'who was once Mary'.....[The CDF] does not permit any Catholic community of Christ's Faithful to pray to the Mother of God under the title of 'Lady of All Nations' with the added expression 'who was once Mary'.
(Thanks to Mark Waterinckx for the tip.)
+J.M.J+
Thank you for posting that. I've always been suspicious and uneasy about those apparitions, despite their acceptance by the current bishop. That "who was once Mary" statement was a major part of my concern.
The Holy Name of Mary is powerful and important; second only to the Most Holy Name of Jesus Christ. The Church has even recently reinstated the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary on Sept 12. Any apparition that suggests that her Name is "obsolete" is suspicious.
In Jesu et Maria,
Can someone please provide an explanation that the defenders of this prayer use for the "once was Mary" part? Is there an implication that we lose our individual identity in eternity? That Mary did? What idea is this phrase trying to convey?
I have long been concerned about that prayer, thank youfor posting this.
+J.M.J+
Some more information about the Holy Name of Mary:
Mary: The Power of Her Name, By St. Alphonsus de Liguori
http://www.holywoundsapostolate.com/html/mary_power_of_her_name.htm
CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Feast of the Holy Name of Mary
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10673b.htm
And here is an article on the Amsterdam "apparitions":
WHO ONCE WAS MARY: The Lady of all Nations, By Rick Salbato
http://www.unitypublishing.com/jan1_99.html
Though I don't always agree with everything this author writes (for instance, his etymology of Mary's Name is a bit odd), this article is enlightening overall. Especially when he points out that, when the seer's local bishop didn't want to include the words "Who once was Mary" in the prayer, the apparition insisted on it, saying, "In the text of the prayer I taught you: 'Lord Jesus Christ.' etc. nothing is to be altered."
A valid apparition and seer would be obedient to the bishop. For instance, the children of Fatima allowed the Church to add the words "especially those in most need of Thy mercy" to the end of the prayer given them by Our Lady of Fatima. The attitude of the Amsterdam "apparition" raises red flags.
In Jesu et Maria,
Thank you so much for posting this... I have always been very cautious about this supposed 'apparition' and especially about that prayer, which struck me as a bit disturbing. I'll pass the word along!
man with black hat: Eat, Drink, and See Mary
+J.M.J+
Sorry, Drake, I didn’t answer your question:
>>> Can someone please provide an explanation that the defenders of this prayer use for the "once was Mary" part? Is there an implication that we lose our individual identity in eternity? That Mary did? What idea is this phrase trying to convey?
According to its defenders, the phrase Who once was Mary “refers to the fact that Mary is no longer just Mary but rather The Lady, The Woman at the foot of the Cross. These words refer to her Eternal Motherhood over all of us, for she is Mother Whom Jesus gave to us from the Cross with the words: Woman behold thy Son! � (from EWTN website).
The Mariology in this statement is flawed. At no time was Mary ever "just Mary" and not The Woman. Christ called her "Woman" because she is the New Eve - and she has been such ever since her Immaculate Conception! Moreover, she was still “Mary� when Jesus gave her to us from the Cross as our spiritual Mother – Scripture still calls her “Mary� in the Upper Room before Pentecost (Acts 1:14)! She hasn’t changed in that regard; theat is no reason for jettisoning the Holy Name of Mary.
I know some may argue that the Amsterdam “apparitions� don’t call for us to jettison the name Mary, but what then is the meaning of “Who once was Mary?� If I “once was� something, does that not imply that I am no longer that thing now? How else can one possibly interpret the statement “the Lady of All Nations, who was once Mary,� if not as implying that the Holy Name of Mary should now be replaced with the title “the Lady of All Nations?�
(The apparition itself said something to the effect that: “I was once called Mary, but now I want to be called the Lady of All Nations.�)
But where is the precedent in Catholic Mariology, liturgy or Marian devotion for such a substitution? Even though we use many titles for her, we still call her “Mary.� There is no indication that these titles can or should replace the Holy Name of Mary. Indeed, the Church’s devotion to her Name precludes that.
In Jesu et Maria,
i fully agree with the Vatican's stand on the "Our Lady of All Nations" as stated in the May 2005 letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. what i understand from it is that a devotion that promotes a faulty Mariology (reflected in its questionable prayer which says Our Blessed Mother "was once Mary") should be discouraged from being spread. this "who once was Mary" phrase smacks of reincarnation and therefore has no place in the Catholic Church. but the problem is, even some of the Philippine bishops to whom the Vatican letter is addressed think it is the only phrase that is objectionable, not the whole prayer nor the devotion itself. thus they continue to support the devotion and even celebrate Mass in honor of "Our Lady of all Nations" apparently unable to realize what confusion this is causing among the faithful. May the Vatican issue a clearer statement on the matter? Should the devotion be discouraged, or is it all right to propagate it as long as that phrase is removed from the prayer? as a serious Catholic i believe that the reported messages of the "Lady of All Nations" be deeply studied, because that "who once was Mary" phrase would not have come from thin air, nor is it a mere phrase. it must be the "fruit" of a whole system of beliefs that may be contradicting what the Church already teaches about Mary. as far as i know, bishops may support and spread only those Marian devotions that have been authenticated by the Church, not these (hundreds of) new ones being popularized by "visionaries". what is wrong with sticking to OUr Lady of Fatima? or Lourdes? Guadalupe? do we just want variety? novelty? are we bored with the "old" persona of Mary that we must entertain "new" Marys--as though Mary were just a rock star like Madonna or Britney Spears who must be reinvented in order to keep her top billboard rating? personally, i believe that instead of spreading more devotions of questionable origin like this one, our priests (and bishops especially)should just encourage the faithful to imitate Mary's virtues. we must grow up and mature in the faith. fine, we have to learn to ask the Blessed Mother for favors but should we get stuck there? what about devoting time to pray with her? enduring suffering with her? being humble and faithful in all situations we find ourselves in in life? being docile and obedient to God's will in spite of the world's allurements? Paging priests and bishops on who enlightened guidance we lay people rely! thank you, and God bless us all! Mother Mary, we love you!