The Journeys of Mary: Part 1 - Tapa blanda

At age four, Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth, made her first journey. Accompanied by her mother Anne, her father Joachim, her sister Mary Heli, and her niece Mary Cleophas, Mary went to Jerusalem for her Presentation to the Temple. Some of the other journeys that folowed included trips to Sephoris, Bethlehem, Matarea, and Heiropolis as well as many other trips to Jerusalem. When her son, Jesus, began his public ministry, Mary moved from Nazareth to Capharnaum. With her friends, the Holy Women, she followed Jesus as he travelled around Galilee and throughout the Holy Land. Ultimately, Mary followed Jesus to Golgotha and the foot of the cross. After the Crucifixion and Ascension, Mary relocated to Ephesus, Turkey. She travelled to Jerusalem and back again to Ephesus before ending her earthly life there. The Journeys of Mary is the story of Mary's life and the life, Passion, and death of her son. In Part I of a trilogy, Mary leaves for Ephesus. As she travels with St. John the Evangelist and her maidservant Leah, Mary reflects on her early life and the journeys she took with her husband, St. Joseph. With him as her escort, Mary travelled to visit her cousin Elizabeth in the hill country around Sephoris. As the wife of Joseph, she travelled to Bethlehem where her son was born. When the life of Jesus is threatened, Joseph takes Mary and the child to Egypt where they lived for many years until their return to Nazareth. The Journeys of Mary is the story of both the interior journey that Mary takes as the mother of Jesus and the exterior journeys she takes as she lives out her life fulfilling the will of God.

Mary Ann Donovan loves travel and adventure. Her many journeys have taken her to pilgrimage sites and other sacred spaces. The lives of the saints, visionaries, and other pious souls associated with holy places have inspired Mary Ann. As a former educator with degrees in administration and liberal studies, she enjoys sharing her knowledge and experiences with others as a guest speaker, as well as a freelance writer and author of several books. A trip to Turkey brought Mary Ann to Ephesus and "The House of the Virgin Mary" or Panaya Kapulu. Having always thought that Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth, had ended her days in Jerusalem, Mary Ann began a personal quest to gather information about the life of Mary. Information provided by the Ephesus Society led her to the visions of Anna Catharina Emmerick. Sister Emmerick envisioned the location of the house of Mary and described it in detail in 1821. The site itself was not uncovered until seventy years later in 1891, when a group of Lazarites searched for it and found it by using Sister Emmerick's directions and description. A gift from a friend of a four-volume set of Anna's visions gave Mary Ann the information needed to write The Journeys of Mary. When not on the road with her husband, her favorite travelling companion, Mary Ann enjoys the time she spends at home with her family and her friends. Gardening, reading, outdoor activities, cultural performances, photography, scrapbooking, and bridge fill her busy schedule. Her bags, however, are always packed and ready for the next trip!