Is the Blessed Virgin's universal mediation of all graces definable as dogma? Can she be called "Mediatrix of All Graces"?

Is the Blessed Virgin's title of "Co-Redemptrix" definable as dogma? Can she be called a co-redeemer with Christ?

Possible ways to understand "***virginity***" : - Some people may define it as no sexual event whatsoever. - Some may define as not having intercourse with a male. - Some may define it as not participating in any intimate acts with a male. - Some may define it as an intact hymen. I have a problem with the last one, since a lot of girls are not born with a hymen, or the hymen can be damaged in sports activities. I can't see a logical reason to think that the Blessed mother was definitely born with one or didn't damage it with non sexual physical activity. **So, what exactly does the Catholic Church mean by the "Virginity" of Mary?**

[Luke 1:26-26](http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%201-2&version=NIV) : > **26** In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, **27** to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. Many other Bible verses talk about Mary's virginity, even to the point that the Catholic church teaches she was a virgin her entire life*. What evidence exists (either Biblical or extra-Biblical) to support the claim that she was indeed a virgin at the time of Jesus' conception? *This question is _not_ asking whether Mary was a perpetual virgin; only for evidence that she was a virgin at the time Jesus was conceived.

There is a Catholic Church near where I lived called "**Mary Queen of the Universe**" (Link) . It seems from their website it's a shrine for Mary. The name of this does not make much sense to me if it is a Christian church. How is she the Queen of the Universe? I have never seen this in the Bible (any translation). All I can think of is the marriage supper of the Lamb for all the believers in the end, not just Mary. Where did they come up with this title? Is the title "Queen of the Universe" something found in established Catholic teaching? Also, if it is an established title, what does it mean?

# Problem description # A protestant made the following two arguments about the assumption of Mary: 1. A catholic that doesn't accept the assumption of Mary will be excommunicated from the Catholic church 2. A catholic must believe in the assumption of Mary ---------- # Questions # - Are these arguments correct? - Is the assumption of Mary a salvific issue for Catholics? - If it's not a salvific issue why is it "good" to believe in it as a Catholic? The last question was asked from a Catholic perspective.

I'm not sure how to express the relationship that Catholics have with the Virgin Mary, so please excuse the word "faith" in the question title. **Giving Mary praise** I understand that Mary gave birth to Jesus. But, isn't Jesus God in human form? He is the Alpha and the Omega. He chose Mary to give birth to his human body, right? So if Mary was chosen by God, and we know that Mary is incapable of doing anything on her own, why give her so much praise? Is she not just another servant like the rest of us? **Intercession** When one asks the virgin Mary to intercede for us, I'm confused. Isn't that the role of Jesus, that the curtain to the Holy room was torn because Jesus is now our intercessor between us and God? We may now go directly to Jesus, so why have Mary do this for you? I am seeking the Catholic viewpoint on this.

My research has thus far turned up only one (seemingly small) detail: The Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches believe that **Mary died a regular, albeit peaceful earthly death** and shortly thereafter her body was glorified and taken up into heaven. This is the Dormition of Mary; she died and was taken up. Roman Catholicism emphasizes that Mary was taken bodily into heaven **without definitively saying whether she died first** and Roman Catholics are free to believe either that she died or did not. This is the Assumption of Mary; she may or may not have died prior to being taken up. Both traditions are based upon extra biblical writings and tradition with no direct basis in Scripture, both traditions held to the Dormition view until late in the middle ages, and both still ultimately affirm that Mary was taken bodily into heaven. Is this really the only difference between the two; that the East insists that Mary died and that the West is unsure whether she died? What are the theological and (if any) practical implications of this difference?

I understand that the Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary is the eternal virgin in that she never had sexual relations with Joseph (or any other man)--either before or after the miraculous conception of Jesus. What Biblical evidence is there that contradicts this doctrine?

So I am not asking about Mary and Joseph's genealogy. I am asking about their children's descendants. So Jesus's siblings' children, their children's children, etc. Whenever I search for this, I only receive results about their family history genealogy. So essentially, what happened to Jesus's nieces and nephews?

According to Catholicism is the separation of certain Marian titles a possible manner of procuring a theological definition in favour of the title Mary Mediatrix of all Graces? I have never been in favour of using the title of Mary Co-Redemptrix, but I can still see a glimmer of hope that the title of Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces could one day be defined. The title of Mary Co-Redemptrix does have more theological entanglements to get defined, whereas the option of Mary, Mediatrix of All Graces could possibly be defined theologically in the future, though not without nuance and theological interpretation. We all know that these titles have been out here for a long time and some popes have favoured some such Marian devotional titles. However, modern popes are not always in favour of them. Notably the Holy See has just come out with the document [***Mater Populi Fidelis***](https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20251104_mater-populi-fidelis_en.html) which discourages the usage of certain Marian titles. Both titles od Mary Co-Redemptrix and Mary Mediatrix of All Graces are mentioned. However the title of Mary Co-Redemptrix is more strongly worded not to be used. If the title Mediatrix of all graces could be disassociated from other modern Marian titles, could the possibility of a future dogma be reached? One interesting note that makes this possibility more real is that the Catholic Church has historically permitted a mass to be said in honour of Mary under the title of Mediatrix of All Graces. > In Belgium eight years later, Redemptorist priest François Xavier Godts wrote a book, De definibilitate mediationis universalis Deiparae (“On the definability of the universal mediation of the Mother of God”), proposing precisely that it be defined that Mary is Mediatrix of all graces. In April 1921, Désiré-Joseph Mercier, Cardinal Archbishop of Mechelen, Belgium wrote to his brother bishops in support of this. > > In response to petitions from Belgium, including one signed by all its bishops, the Holy See approved in 1921 an annual celebration in that country of a feast day of Mary Mediatrix of All Graces. In printings of the Roman Missal from that date until 1961, the Mass of Mary Mediatrix of All Graces was found in the appendix *Missae pro aliquibus locis* (Masses for Some Places), but not in the General Roman Calendar for use wherever the Roman Rite is celebrated. Other Masses authorized for celebration in different places on the same day 31 May were those of the Blessed Virgin Mary Queen of All Saints and Mother of Fair Love and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The Belgian celebration has now been replaced by an optional memorial on 31 August of The Virgin Mary Mediatrix. - [Mediatrix of all graces](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediatrix_of_all_graces) To my knowledge this mass has not been abrogated. I am not aware of any mass ever being allowed for Mary Co-Redemptrix. Perhaps someone can enlighten me? Thus I ask the question: **Have any Catholic theologians favoured the possibility of defining Mary Mediatrix of All Graces, while keeping the titles of Mary Co-Redemptrix a practical impossibity, due to its more complex misunderstandings and confusion?**

I was doing some research and even though could find different resources on devotion to Mary, Mary as the mother of God, I couldn't find anything useful about Mary as mediatrix / "to Jesus through Mary". What did the early church fathers have to say about it?

I have heard the title "Mother of God" in connection with the "Hail Mary" prayer that(Ave Maria) is recited by Catholics. However, I have never heard this term used in any Protestant setting. (From the comment by Bobo, we find that the Orthodox also refer to Mary in this way; *Theotokos* in Greek literally means "Birth-giver of God", as well as *Bohoroditza* in Russian. Both of these terms are widely used in their respective Orthodox groups). Why, then, do Protestants not use this title that appears to be so common in Catholicism?

It is believed by radical unitarians, Herbert W. Armstrong advocates and various others that Jesus was the Son of God by virtue of his birth by Mary. If that was true then presumably she would have told that story to perhaps many persons. Throughout the New Testament various persons relate that "Jesus is the Son of God" but I can find no scriptures that relate of Mary telling anyone about this, so I'm left wondering how these various individuals came to know Jesus as the Son of God.

**Are there examples of Marian Apparitions to Orthodox faithful, Protestants or non-christians?** After reading this [question](https://christianity.stackexchange.com/q/106340/25495) (**Best arguments against Marian apparitions?**), it got me wondering if there are examples of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, appearing to the Orthodox, Protestants (or other denominations) or non-christians? I am desiring an answer that has examples of all three fields if possible.

The Wikipedia’s [*list of Marian apparitions*](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Marian_apparitions) has a narrative of Marian Apparitions documented so far. In most cases, Blessed Mother Mary appears alone. In the case of the apparitions of AD 1570 and 1587 to children at Velankanni, Tamil Nadu, India, a place then under Portugese Colonial Empire, Mary is believed to have held Infant Jesus in her hands. According to Catholic scholars, is there any special significance to such Marian apparitions where Infant Jesus was present?

Both Orthodox and Catholic Christians believe and affirm that the Blessed Virgin Mary is the ***ark of the new covenant***, but is there a scriptural basis for this and if so where do we see this in the Old or the New Testament?

**Mary Makes An Entrance in The Gospel of St. Luke.** This is how Mary is introduced in the Gospel of St Luke: > **Luke 1:26-28 (RSVCE) ** > > **The Birth of Jesus Foretold** > > 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of > Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name > was Joseph, of the house of David; and **the virgin’s name was Mary.** > 28 And he came to her and said, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with > you!” **Today** Today, Friday, September 12, 2025, is the Optional Memorial of **the Most Holy Name of Mary** **Names in Scripture** Names in Scripture are highly significant, conveying character, destiny, and identity, serving as more than mere labels but as expressions of **God's message, prophetic meaning, and divine purpose.** A person's name could reveal parental hopes, **God's intended path, or signify a new beginning and transformation, like Jacob becoming Israel.** **God's own name, particularly "I AM," holds immense power and is considered holy, a concept explored through various divine names throughout the Bible.** **The Name "Mary" of The Blessed Virgin Mary The Mother of Jesus, What Does It Mean?** **Clearly then, Mary has a significant meaning. What does it mean?**

I have four closely related questions on this topic (if overall this is considered too broad, I'm happy to receive advice as to which questions—if any—would be better off in a separate post): 1. What is the earliest documented use of the term "Queen of Heaven" being applied to Mary, the mother of Jesus? (cf. Wikipedia on *the Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven* - there seems to be a contradiction between the first and second paragraphs in this section ). 2. Given that the only Biblical references to this title are regarding a false goddess being worshipped in the nation of Judah during Jeremiah's time (cf. Wikipedia's *Queen of heaven (antiquity)* ), is there evidence of any discussion or dissent (over whether such a title was in any way appropriate) in evidence in the wider church when this title was being adopted and disseminated (prior to the Reformation)? 3. Are there any arguments from Church Fathers or other historical records of why such a title would have been adopted in the first place? 4. It seems on the surface (at least to some) that this might be an example of Syncretism , but perhaps there are convincing arguments that can exclude that possibility - if so what would be the outline of such arguments? Or otherwise, what additional evidence (ie not covered in 2. or 3.) would support the idea that this *is* an example of Syncretism? **Please note**: I'm looking for answers that are supported by quotes from Church fathers and Church historians, not doctrinal expositions from denominational perspectives. I'm only looking for a very brief outline of an argument (one way or the other) to question 4 (one or two paragraphs maximum) - if there are the seeds of a worthwhile further question to be developed from such responses, I will ask a separate question to elicit a more detailed answer."

> Beginning in the spring of 1917, the children reported apparitions of > an Angel, and starting in May 1917, apparitions of the Virgin Mary, > whom the children described as "the Lady more brilliant than the Sun". > (quoted in Wikipedia ) *. *Was this report accurate? How did Mary really look like in the Fatima Apparitions according to trusted Catholic sources?  (*We are not alone in the Universe* , Konrad Kulczyk, Sixth Books 2012)