Includes bibliographical references (pages 245-263) and index.

"Every day, thousands of Catholics - from Italy and Latin America to the United States and Bosnia - use the Internet to describe and celebrate apparitions of Mary, to exchange relics and advice in chat rooms, to make pilgrimages to religious Web sites, and to practice the rites of their faith online." "But how has this potent new mix of technology and religiosity changed the way Catholics view their faith? And what challenges do the autonomous qualities of the Internet pose to the broader authority of Catholicism? Does the democratic nature of access to digital technologies constitute the postmodern renewal of a more archaic and mystical form of Catholicism that predates the modernizing reforms of the Second Vatican Council?" "In working through these questions, Apolito considers visions of Mary on the Web over the past two decades, revealing a great deal about religion as it is now experienced through new information technologies."--Jacket.

Translated from the Italian.

SACFinal081324