"The way that a mother models to her children what it means to be an adult woman, there's a way that Mary's privilege and holiness...gives us an image of Christian holiness to move towards," she said.
The manual was originally released last year, during the 100th anniversary year of the Marian apparitions at Fatima, Portugal, in which Mary appeared to three children for six months in 1917. She brought messages about the importance of prayer and making reparation for sin, as well as messages about the World Wars and the future of the Church. During the sixth and final apparition, on October 13, the sun appeared to miraculously dance in the sky.
Sr. Albert Marie described the anniversary as a special time in which the whole Church turns with special and renewed devotion to Mary,
But her favorite Marian miracle described in the manual is much less dramatic than Fatima or some of the other more well-known Marian miracles.
It's called "She Helps the Friars Preach," and recalls a simple story of a Dominican Friar who decided at the last minute to ditch his prepared sermon in favor of one that was divinely inspired.
A Cistercian monk who witnessed the small miracle said he could see Mary next to the friar, holding up a book. The Cistercian said the preachers seemed "to speak better and with greater profit to souls, and farm more fervently than he had done for a long time."
It's a simple story, but close to Sr. Albert Marie's heart in her roles both as a Dominican and as a teacher, she said.
"That's one story that will never be brought for anyone's canonization, nothing will be done with it, it's just the testimony of one person," she said. "But it's an example of that very simple presence and help of Mary in daily life."
Sr. Albert Marie also said that she hopes the different stories of Marian miracles and the different quotes about Mary from various saints will help readers foster their own unique relationship with their Mother.
"For everyone who reads the manual or prays to our lady, there's going to be a particular feel to that relationship, and it's going to be unique because it is a personal relationship between them and with her," she said.
The manual is available through TAN books on their website at: https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/manual-for-marian-devotion.html. It is the second in a series of devotional books being produced by the publisher.
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This article was originally published on CNA Jan. 22, 2017.
Mary Farrow worked as a staff writer for Catholic News Agency until 2020. She has a degree in journalism and English education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.