readoldthings

Right. Unless I'm mistaken, Mary officially has a slightly larger role in Catholic theology than in Orthodox-- to my knowledge, there isn't an Orthodox equivalent to Louis de Montfort (who is very worth reading, if you have the time). But there is a very big difference between what you say you think about someone, and how you actually treat that person, and the Orthodox certainly seem to treat her better than Catholics do... in a liturgical context, at least. Private and familial devotions are another matter, of course, and here I don't really know. The great majority of Catholics I know still have Mary at the center of their personal piety. Certainly "Say a Hail Mary" was the go-to devotion in my household, and in most American Catholic households that I know of, whether their roots are Irish, Italian, Mexican, or some combination of the above. Is that the case in Orthodox households, in your experience?