Man's Call To Salvation

Mary, the Mother of God, has been given special honor since the early days of Christianity. We love and honor Mary beacuse she is the Mother of Jesus. Besides, Jesus gave her to us as our Mother.

One way by which we show our love and honor for Mary is through the celebration of her feast days. These feast days celebrate important moments in Mary's life. They show how much the family of God loves Mary.

Following are some of the feast days we celebrate:

There is no record of Mary's actual birthday but September 8 has been traditionally celebrated as the birth of Mary.

In many European countries, the feast of Mary's birth is celebrated together with the harvest celebration. In France, September 8 is within the harvest season for grapes. The workers gather the ripe grapes from the vineyards and select the best of the fruit. These they pile at the feet of Mary's statue in honor of her birthday. Then they pray in thanksgiving for a good harvest.

In the Philippines, we celebrate the birth of Mary with special masses and floral offerings. Some Catholic schools choose this day for the first Communion of their pupils.