Honoring the Most International Woman I Know

Today, March 8, is International Women's Day. I first encountered this phenomenon internationally--in Russia, in fact. According to the official International Women's Day website, this is a day to "Celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievement of women." Given those parameters, I would be happy to comply by celebrating the most internationally achieved woman I know: the Blessed Virgin Mary, and noting just a few of her momentous achievements in being perfectly faithful to Almighty God.

Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conversion of the Aztecs. Through Our Lady's appearance in 1531 to the humble (now Saint) Juan Diego, and through manifold symbols in the image she left on his tilma, 6,000,000 Aztecs converted to Christ over the course of just six or seven years. Not only did this mean a turn from pagan rituals that included a great number of human sacrifices, but it served to avert what would have been a very bloody war between the Aztecs and the Spaniards. Here are a few more details to fill in the story.

Our Lady of Victory, Saint Pius V, and the Battle of Lepanto. In 1571, a comparatively small naval fleet successfully defended Western Christendom against a much larger Turkish fleet, set on taking Rome and Vienna and establishing Turkish rule in the West. The day before the battle, Pope Pius ordered that the holy Rosary be prayed for victory by all the faithful throughout the West. The next day, the outnumbered, outgunned navies of the Pope, Spain and Venice emerged victorious. Read this story and other stories of the Rosary leading to victory here.

Our Lady of Lourdes and miraculous healings. In 1858, just four years after Pope Pius IX proclaimed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception, Our Lady appeared to (now Saint) Bernadette in Lourdes, France. In the apparition, Our Lady revealed herself as "the Immaculate Conception," and instructed Bernadette to drink from the fountain and bathe in it, upon which Bernadette found a small spring. A chapel was soon built and faithful people began coming in droves to experience a corporate devotion to Mary and to bathe in the spring. Over 60 healings have been recognized by a bishop as miraculous. For many more details, go here.

Our Lady of Pontmain and the Hope of France. As noted here, Our Lady's appearance in 1871 to four children in Pontmain, France, was the catalyst not only of deepening devotion to her, but also of the mysterious halting and later withdrawal of Prussian troops who had been advancing on the area during the Franco-Prussian war.

Our Lady of Fatima, Saint John Paul II, and the fall of Communism. In Our Lady's appearance to three Portuguese children in 1917, she instructed them to pray the Rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners and for the conversion of Russia. Many people, Catholic or not, are aware of the important role that Pope John Paul II played in the fall of the Soviet Union. In fact, his teachings and policies were considered so dangerous that the KGB were directed to halt their influence at any cost, including what resulted in a failed assassination attempt. In response, out of gratitude to Our Lady for sparing his life, Pope John Paul consecrated the USSR to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, invoking her prayers for the Communist nation. In 1991, Mikhail Gorbachev announced the dissolution of the Soviet Union on December 8--the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Read more of the story here.

These, of course, are just a few of the ways our Blessed Mother has proven herself to be the model for all women--and indeed, all humanity. We have not even mentioned her roles in Kibeho, Rwanda; Akita, Japan; Lipa, Philippines; Knock, Ireland; Siluva, Lithuania; or many other international sites. May she continue her truly international mission of drawing people of every tribe, tongue, and nation to her Son!