Marian Veneration

Definition and Meaning

Marian veneration is the devotional practice of giving special honor and reverence to Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. It is primarily a tradition of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. The Catholic Church distinguishes between adoration (latria, the supreme worship offered to God alone) and veneration (dulia, the honor and respect given to the saints), and it teaches that Mary receives hyperdulia, the highest form of veneration. Most Protestant denominations respect Mary as an example of faith but do not make her an object of prayer or veneration.

Biblical and Historical Background

In the Bible, Mary appears in accounts such as the Annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), the birth of Jesus, the wedding at Cana, and the scene in which she stands beside the cross (John 19:25-27). Supporters of Marian veneration cite the words "from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed" (Luke 1:48).

In 431 the Council of Ephesus ruled that Mary may be called the "Mother of God" (Theotokos). This decision arose from Christological controversies and sought to affirm that divinity and humanity are united in the one person of Jesus. The Catholic Church later proclaimed two Marian dogmas: the Immaculate Conception, the teaching that Mary was conceived without original sin, in 1854; and the Assumption, the teaching that Mary was taken up body and soul into heaven, in 1950.

During the Reformation, Martin Luther and John Calvin held Mary in respect. They criticized, however, the practice of praying to Mary and seeking her intercession as contrary to the words "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men" (1 Timothy 2:5).

Practice in Korean Churches

In the Korean Catholic Church, praying the Rosary, praying before statues of Mary, and observing the Solemnity of the Assumption on August 15 are widespread practices.

Most Protestant churches, including Presbyterian, Methodist, Holiness, Baptist, and Full Gospel churches, do not pray to Mary or display statues of her. They do, however, confess in worship through the Apostles' Creed that Christ was "born of the Virgin Mary." Around Christmas, sermons and Nativity plays present Mary as a model of obedience and faith. Some Protestants criticize Catholic Marian veneration as idolatry. In response, the Catholic Church maintains that veneration is not worship and that through Mary the faithful draw near to Christ.

The Anglican Church of Korea, a denomination that combines Catholic and Protestant traditions, observes feasts related to Mary in its church calendar. It does not, however, make the Catholic Marian dogmas doctrines that the whole church is required to believe.