Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Stephen B. Whatley

A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.  Revelation 12:1

The Feast Day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated by the Catholic Church on August 15. This colorful abstract oil painting is by Stephen B. Whatley. This talented artist is internationally recognized for his Christian Tributes.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Virgin Mary 'crosses the finish line' with Olympic gold runner

The following excerpt is from the Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Ethiopian athlete Meseret Defar provided one of the most emotional moments of the London 2012 Summer Olympic Games when she crossed the finish line in the 5000 meter race to win the gold.

She then pulled a picture of the Virgin Mary out from under her jersey, showed it to the cameras and held it up to her face in deep prayer.

An Orthodox Christian, Defar entrusted her race to God with the sign of the cross and reached the finish line in 15:04:24, beating her fellow Ethiopian rival Tirunesh Dibaba, who was the favorite to win.

A teary-eyed Defar proudly showed the picture of the Virgin Mary with the Baby Jesus that she carried with her for the entire race.

Throughout the event, Defar kept pace with three other Ethiopian runners and three from Kenya, until speeding past them on the homestretch to win gold.

The silver medal went to Vivian Cheruiyot of Kenya and the bronze to Dibaba.

Read more: Meseret Defar