Here is something very current and optimistic!
Many Protestants discovering devotion to Mary
Columbia, S.C, Nov. 09, 2005 (CNA) - They’re praying the rosary, holding Bible studies which look at Mary as a model of Christian holiness, and wearing trendy t-shirts emblazoned with things like ‘Mary is my home girl.’ The odd thing is that they’re Protestant.
The State, a South Carolina newspaper recently reported that devotion to Mary is on the rise–particularly among non-Catholics.
Although there are still theological divides on the proper role of Mary, a study released by Anglican and Catholic church leaders in May, suggested that the Blessed Virgin ought to be an important figure of devotion for all Christians.
The Rev. James Lyon, pastor of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church in Columbia, South Carolina told The State that, “The new position is that there’s nothing wrong with appropriate devotion. The key is to keep in mind that Mary can be seen as someone who points the way toward her son, Jesus Christ.”
“Mary”, he said, “is an intercessor for the people of God, a model of submission and obedience to the will of God for the whole Christian church.”
Rev. Lyon’s church regularly recites the rosary with a group from nearby St. Joseph’s Catholic Church.
The report also noted that more and more Protestant churches, particularly United Methodist and Episcopal, are offering Bible studies on Mary’s obedience to God and her valuable example for all–particularly women.
Betsy Biega, who works at the Fields Episcopal Church in Columbia, told The State that, “What attracts women is the need to understand the significance of our mother Mary as the child who said yes to God.”
Devotion to Mary growing among Protestants in England
*London, Nov. 10, 2005 (CNA) *- Devotion to Mary is growing among Anglicans, Fr. Noel Wynn told the New York Times. Fr. Wynn is the director of the Roman Catholic Marian shrine in Walsingham, known as “England’s Nazareth.”
Walsingham is home to two Marian shrines—one Catholic and the other Anglican—located at opposite sides of the town.
Tradition says the first shrine was founded in 1061, when Richeldis de Faverches, a Saxon noblewoman, had a vision of the Virgin Mary, who showed her the house in Nazareth where the Angel Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus. Mary then instructed the lady to build a replica.
Since then, Walsingham has been an important pilgrimage site in England, whose emphasis is not healing but on one’s lifelong Christian journey.
In 1538, what is now the Protestant shrine was destroyed as part of the Reformation under King Henry VIII. It was rebuilt in 1931, with accommodations for 218 people.
The Catholic shrine is built around the Slipper Chapel, so named because historically it was there that people removed their shoes and walked the Holy Mile, the last mile of the pilgrimage. Some still walk it, reported the New York Times. This shrine has accommodations for 120.
According to the New York Times, the number of Protestant pilgrims visiting the Marian shrine and staying overnight has risen since 1999, from 10,000 to 12,000.
Protestant worshipers in Walsingham often belong to the Anglo-Catholic tradition, which accords greater reverence to the Virgin Mary than other Protestant sects, and uses the bells and incense like in the Roman Catholic liturgy.
The shrines also appeal to other Christians, and the Orthodox and Methodist churches in the town are indicative of this.
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