Among the sixteen books written by the gifted Capuchin priest Ignacio Larrañaga (1928-2013), The Silence of Mary is the best sold, printed in forty editions and twelve languages. The personality and history of the mother of Jesus has been reconstructed by means of a penetrating analysis based solidly on the canonical Scriptures without appealing to traditions or apocryphal writings. Although Catholic in its orthodoxy, Larrañaga's description is valid for Christians of all denominations, which makes this book a sound basis for ecumenical dialog.
Born and ordained a priest in Spain, the Capuchins sent him to the province of the Order of Capuchin Friars Minor in Chile at the age of thirty-one. In his eagerness for all to get a deep God experience, he traveled to many countries giving conferences and organizing courses and workshops. The Prayer and Life Workshops, which he founded, met with great success in the United States. However, since his aim was primarily focused on Latin America, those in North America rarely recognize his name and he continues to be little known.
Although The Silence of Mary was translated into English about a quarter of a century ago, only a few copies were distributed, and the book was never reprinted. In order to remedy that gap, we now present to the North American public an absolutely new and authentic version of Larrañaga's best seller. It is translated from the original, faithfully attempting to express in English what was written so powerfully in Spanish. Therefore, it serves as an excellent introduction to the mind of the author.