Despite various attempts over the centuries to give her a personal story, there is no evidence that she was a historical figure. She has never been included in any official list of Catholic saints; and although she is commemorated on July 12 in the Orthodox churches, there has never been a universal

On the feast of the Visitation we recall yet another dimension of Mary’s response; we honor her spirit of service, or diakonia. Mary’s generous care for Elizabeth anticipates the spirit of service that should be the hallmark of the church, which is sent especially to the poor.

One of the strongest images I have of my paternal grandparents’ home in east Tennessee is of a rather large print of the Sacred Heart of Jesus that hung at the far end of their hallway. My grandmother told me that she and Grandpa had received it as a wedding gift in 1946. It had been hanging i