The Rosary in the light of St. John Paul II-OSV News / Gina Christian
Devotion to Mary is a significant factor in discerning and maintaining a call to priestly and religious life, according to a new study.
"As religious women, Mary has played a very important role in our religious life, and I am excited to see the report as a kind of confirmation that Mary is indeed our model," said Sister Thu T. Do, a Sister of the Lovers of the Holy Cross and research associate at Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA).
On July 16, CARA released a report entitled "Impact of Mary, Mother of the Church, on Church Vocations," which Sister Thu and fellow CARA researcher Jonathon L. Wiggins prepared in response to a request from the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan.
Study the Marian dimension of the Church
Diocesan theologian and coordinator of ongoing diaconal formation, Daniel Osborn, spearheaded that request. Osborn told OSV News that the "primary genesis" of the project was Pope Francis' November 2023 call to members of the International Theological Commission for further study on the Marian dimension of the Church.
"On a personal level," he added, "I owe my own ecclesial vocation as a lay theologian to Our Lady's intercession." So the study, Osborn explained, was also "a way of honoring her and thanking her personally for how she intervened in my own life," which saw him return to the Catholic faith of his childhood after a period of estrangement.
The survey, conducted between March and May using paper forms sent by postal mail and e-mail questionnaires, represented responses from 1,091 respondents, a mix of U.S. Catholic bishops, diocesan priests, permanent deacons, directors of deacons and major superiors of religious men and women.
Vocational discernment
Among the six groups surveyed, an average of 59 % said that Marian devotion had had a "significant" or "great" impact on their discernment of a vocation to serve Jesus Christ and the Church. Of the groups, religious priests (71 %) cited Marian devotion the most, while deacon directors (49 %) cited it the least.
The majority of respondents (92 %) claimed to have learned about Marian devotion as children, with family (79 %) being the primary means of introduction, followed by parishes (44 %) and Catholic schools (44 %).
The rosary tops the list of common Marian devotional practices during vocation discernment, with 71 % saying they pray it in private and 52 % saying they pray it with others. Praying before images of Mary-whether icons, statues or paintings-was cited by 40 % of respondents.
Among the participants, the home (80 %) was the main place of devotion during their vocational discernment, followed by the parish (77 %).
Marian apparitions and medals
Respondents also said they "often" or "always" wear the Miraculous Medal (32 %), associated with Mary's apparitions to St. Catherine Laboure in the 19th century; the brown scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (29 %); or another Marian medal (18 %).
Pilgrimages to Marian apparition sites before coming to their vocation in the Church were also noted by 44 % of all respondents, with Guadalupe (29 %) and Lourdes (28 %) as the most visited sites.
The majority of respondents (74 %) affirmed that devotion to Mary has "strengthened" or "greatly strengthened" the living out of their respective vocations. Bishops (89 %) were the ones who most emphasized the role of Mary in this regard.
Marian devotion also reinforces respondents' current devotion to the Eucharist, with a total of 8 0% stating that Mary has had a "significant" or "great" impact.
The survey's open-ended question on the Marian dogma or doctrine that has most influenced the respondents' vocations elicited 31 specific examples, with the Immaculate Conception, the Mother of God or "Theotokos," the Assumption and the perpetual virginity of Mary being the most frequently cited.
Most significant Marian devotions
Another open-ended question on the most significant Marian titles garnered a high response rate, with 84 % of participants listing a total of 128 different Marian titles. The most popular was "Mary, Mother of God," followed by "Our Lady of Perpetual Help," "Mary, Mother of the Church," "Unbinding," "Our Lady of Guadalupe," "Our Lady/Mother of Sorrows," "Theotokos" ("God-bearer"), "Queen of Peace," "Our Lady of Good Counsel" and "Immaculate Heart."
Among the Marian authors mentioned by the participants in the survey, the first is the French priest St. Louis Marie de Montfort, followed by St. John Paul II, St. Maximilian Kolbe, Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, Father Michael E. Gaitley, member of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, and St. Alphonsus Liguori.
Among other findings of the report:
– Saint John Paul II was named the saint who had most inspired the Marian devotion of the respondents, followed by St. Louis de Montfort, St. Joseph, St. Bernadette of Lourdes, St. Alphonsus Liguori, St. Dominic and St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
- The Gospels of Luke and John were the most popular sources of Scripture related to Mary.
- Marian art such as the Pietà, the tilma of St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin printed with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and representations of the Annunciation and Our Lady of Perpetual Help received "a high volume of mentions" among survey participants.
Mary as "companion, friend and guide".
"Most respondents described Mary's presence in their lives using terms such as companion, friend, guide, consoler, model, intercessor, mother, and inspirer of vocations," the report said. "Many also spoke of experiencing her role through Marian devotional practices and being consecrated to Mary."
Mary "meets us everywhere," Sister Thu told OSV News. "Even in the place or at the time when we don't meet anyone, Our Lady, Mary, is there."
This news was first published in OSV News. You can read the original text HERE.
