Who is St. Mary, of church, college and town name fame?

Question

I see the name everywhere, but I've never known exactly who is being honored--is it the Virgin Mary? Is it Mary, mother of John (who is the only "St. Mary" without an additional part to her name, such as "Magdalene" or "Bartholomea of Florcence," mentioned on www.catholic.org)?

It would seem strange that it is used to refer to Mary, the Mother of God, (I mean, we don't ever say "St. Jesus") but are there really 3.7 million Google hits for "St. Mary" and 1.2 million more for "Saint Mary" if the name refers to the apostle John's mother?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Saint Mary usually refers to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.

Usually other Marys are referred to with more descriptions, such as Saint Mary Magdalene.

With love in Christ.

Answer 2

John's mother was not named Mary.

Roman Catholic doctrine typically speaks of Mary in various capacities. The Mary of note, however, when referring to Saint Mary, is always Mary the mother of Jesus.

The "mother of God" doctrine has been taken out of context for over a thousand years; it was an early way of explaining that the church considered Christ to be God incarnate. It was not intended to connote that Mary is higher or equal to God.

That's the problem with following man made traditions and leaving the Bible behind. Learn the Bible, obey it and you will have no problem understanding the nature of God.

Forget the rest of the "religious" nonsense.

TEK

Answer 3

St. Mary is the mother of Jesus. Her cousin Elizabeth was the mother of John the Baptist.

Answer 4

St Mary usually is Mary of Nazareth but there are many Sts Mary(or Marie or Maria)

Answer 5

Though often referred to as "The Virgin Mary," she is considered by Catholics to be a saint and is referred to as "The Queen of Saints," among other honorarium.