The faith of our fathers - Carmel Apologetics

THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY. 207exploits.The Feast of the Blessed Trinity was notintroduced till the fifth itcentury, though commemorates a fundamental mystery of the Christian religion.It is interestingto us to know that the Immaculate Conception of Mary has been interwoven in theearliest history of our own country. The ship thatfirst bore Columbus to America was named Maryof the Conception. This celebrated navigator gavethe same name to the second island which he discovered. The first chapel erected in Quebec, whenthat city was founded in the early part of the seventeenth century, was dedicated to God under the invocation of Mary Immaculate.In view of these three great prerogatives of Mary,her divine maternity, her perpetual virginity, andher Immaculate Conception, we are prepared to findher blessedness often and expressly declared in HolyScripture. The Archangel Gabriel is sent to herfrom heaven to announce to her the happy tidingsthat she was destined to be the mother of the world sRedeemer. No greater favor was ever before orsinceconferred on woman, whether we consider thedignity of the messenger, or the momentous character of the message, or the terms of respect in whichit is "Andconveyed. the Angel Gabriel was sentfrom God into a city of Galilee called Nazareth toa virgin,. . . and the virgin s name was Mary.And the angel being come in, said unto her :Hail,full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art