hecklingsoul Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Blessed Virgin Mary Blessed Teresa of Calcutta was just beatified. Making her "Blessed Teresa of Calcutta" instead of Mother Teresa. After she is canonized she will become St. Teresa of Calcutta. I know that the Blessed Virgin is a Saint so why do we call her Blessed Virgin. I always thought that being Blessed was a special designation for our Mother which explained to me why she is generally not referred to as St. Mary. But now that I understand beatification, I don't know. Any ideas? I've been a Catholic all my life, but being a fairly new "revert", I am just now learning some of the details of the faith. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freaky Chik Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Blessed Virgin Mary Blessed Teresa of Calcutta You're going to have to clarify a few things... I don't understand how someone who lived so many thousands of years ago can do that. have a good day Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hecklingsoul Posted October 21, 2003 Author Share Posted October 21, 2003 Sorry. That was a typo. Blessed Virgin Mary Blessed Teresa of Calcutta was just beatified...Should read... Blessed Teresa of Calcutta was just beatified... Thanks for pointing that out Freaky Chic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freaky Chik Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Sorry. That was a typo. Should read... Thanks for pointing that out Freaky Chic Huh? I'm confused. I donno what's going on. gaahhh *looks around* I'm not a catholic so I don't understand these things :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hecklingsoul Posted October 21, 2003 Author Share Posted October 21, 2003 :unsure: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hecklingsoul Posted October 21, 2003 Author Share Posted October 21, 2003 Can do what? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willguy Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 I think I've got you heckling. If I'm correct, you're asking why we call Mary Blessed Virgin Mary when blessed is a term we use for people before they are declared saints, and Mary is above the saints. I've got a couple ideas. 1) "All generations will call me blessed" (somewhere in the Bible that I don't feel like looking up but I'm sure ya'll know what I'm talking about). So we do, 2) The terms "blessed" and "saint" have meanings beyond the strict sense in which they are applied in the canonization process. We are all saints in a sense, as saint simply means "holy one." We are all blessed. So, calling Mary the Blessed Virgin Mary does not demote her in any way. BTW, I've thought of this question before myself. I think the reason we don't just call her St. Mary is that there are many St. Mary's, and Mary deserved a title that was instantly recognizable. When someone says Blessed Virgin Mary, we all know what they mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hecklingsoul Posted October 21, 2003 Author Share Posted October 21, 2003 Thanks willguy. That's exactly what I was trying to ask. Half the battle for you must have been figuring out what I was asking. I had a hard time wording the question in a way that made sense. That definately helps clear it up. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katholikos Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 (edited) "Blessed" has several meanings. In general it means a person, place, or object associated with God, and implying a divine favor. The Scriptures say that Mary was "blessed" and so was "the fruit of her womb [Jesus]" Luke 1:42. It also means a deceased person who has been beatified by an official declaration of the Church, such as Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. It applies to all Christians in that they receive the grace of God. And "the blessed" means all those who are in heaven. The BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary) is a Saint. She wasn't declared a saint by the Church, but by God. Anyone in heaven is a saint. We all aspire to be saints! The oldest Church in my city is St. Mary's. A new school in a suburb is named St. Mary's. Both were named for the BVM. Ave Cor Mariae, Katholikos Reference: Modern Catholic Dictionary, J A Hardon, SJ P.S. ordinary Christians on earth are sometimes called "saints" with a small S. Oh, when those saints go marching in! Oh Lord, I want to be in that number . . . Edited October 21, 2003 by Katholikos Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP2Iloveyou Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Many parishes are named St. Mary in honor of the BVM. However, Mary also has many other titles. Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of the Rosary, Our Lady of Guadaloupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima, etc. etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmotherofpirl Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 Somewhere there is a thread with all the titles we could think of for Mary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLAZEr Posted October 21, 2003 Share Posted October 21, 2003 My Church is called St. Mary's Immaculate Conception . . . There are 24 St. Mary's churches in my diocese and all of them refer to the Blessed Virgin Mary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hecklingsoul Posted October 21, 2003 Author Share Posted October 21, 2003 Thank you all. Very informative. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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