Have your kids ever asked why Mary has so many titles? Or maybe it’s something you’ve wondered about yourself!

In my latest book for middle grade readers, Detective Thomas and the Mysteriously Perfect Plan, amateur sleuth Thomas asks himself why Mary matters to us so much as Catholics. With some saintly help, he starts to learn more about Mary. Along the way, he encounters Mary under many different titles, and here’s what he finds:

Every title of Mary tells us something about her, and therefore, something about her son Jesus. 

So, yes, Our Lady of Knock and the Blessed Virgin Mary are the same person, but by using both we get to know different aspects of our heavenly mother a bit better.

Depending where you live, some titles may be more familiar to you than others. Here are just five titles among many that you may not know!

5 Titles Of Mary You Might Not Know

Our Lady of Kibeho – Did you know that Mary appeared to schoolgirls in Rwanda in the 1980s? Prior to the Rwandan genocide, she urgently called for peace and conversion of hearts.

Our Lady of La Leche – This title honors Mary when she nursed the baby Jesus. Contemplating Mary as a young mom reminds us that God chose for his Son to be born to one of us and that motherhood is a grace-filled vocation.

Theotokos – If you’re not a theologian, this may be a new one for you, but it’s crucial to understanding who Jesus is. Theotokos means “Mother of God” and emphasizes that Jesus is both God and man. What an honor given to Mary and the whole human race!

Lily Among Thorns – This name for Mary focuses on her purity and virtue. For me, the title also evokes the thorns we inflicted on Jesus as a crown because of our own sinfulness.

Star of the Sea – This is a great one to explain to children. Imagine sailors who are out in the ocean with only the stars to guide their way. In a similar way, when we feel lost, we can turn to Mary as our guiding star. And, of course, she leads us to Jesus!

All of these titles – and the ones we are perhaps more familiar with, like Mother of Divine Grace, Mother of Mercy, and Our Lady of Guadalupe– demonstrate how available Mary is to us. She wants all of us, no matter our location and circumstances, to turn to her. As a mother, she watches over us and points us towards her Son.

Interested in learning even more about Mary’s role in our faith?

Check out the second in the Detective Thomas series, available at Our Sunday Visitor, Amazon, and more.

More Books About Mary