Would you read a biography of the Blessed Virgin Mary dictated by God, Saint Michael the Archangel, Mary and her holy seraphim angels? If so, you may be interested in reading the Mystical City of God – the 1914 English version of Venerable Maria de Jesus de Agreda’s original 1657 Spanish, Mistica Ciudad de Dios (translated by Reverend Father George J Blatter) .

Perhaps you have already read it. Perhaps you are among the few to have read it with ease, or perhaps, like Michael DiMaio, you tried to read it and were overwhelmed by the four volumes and thousands of pages?  For thirty-five years, DiMaio failed at several attempts to finish reading this beautiful work. Then, a forced retirement in 2010 allowed him the deep dive that he had always wanted. In 2018, he published an abridged version from Blatter’s 1914 English translation called God Revealed His Degrees for readers who struggle to finish Mystical City of God as he had. His goal was to make the complex and sometimes overwhelming original volumes more accessible. 

In 2025, after reader feedback, DiMaio reorganized, republished and renamed his abridgement City of God Stories. He highlights creation, the battle for heaven, the main events in Mary’s life, and the early days of the Church. In his abridged version, he focuses on stories that enhance details found in Scriptures and that can aid in the meditations of the Rosary. City of God Stories has an extended prologue and editor comments which include the history of the imprimaturs, the approbations, papal decrees, and the twelve papal blessings (including the 2023 blessing letter of Pope Francis) that have been part of the rigorous vetting of Agreda’s work over the course of nearly four hundred years. DiMaio also includes information relating to Venerable Maria Agreda’s sanctity, her bilocations (to Arizona, New Mexico and Texas) and her still incorrupt body.  Although City of God Stories doesn’t have an imprimatur itself, DiMaio does claim to have extracted Blatter’s selections word for word. Amazingly, Dimaio reduced 2,676 pages to 240 while maintaining the same historic chronology sequence as presented by Agreda.

I do think that DiMaio could have included where to find these stories in the original volumes. Nonetheless, I found his abridgement to be an easy, fulfilling read. I particularly enjoyed reading about how the Mother of the Word Incarnate was ordained as God’s masterpiece from the beginning of all time, and about her response to this gift. I also appreciated reading how this ordination affected the angels. Sadly, this played a part in the fall of the bad angels. During their test, God with great love and mercy gave the fallen angels this revelation to encourage their repentance. Unfortunately, they confirmed their rebellion. They would not be subservient to Christ, a man, nor have a woman as their queen. Everything the fallen angels have done since has been a furtherance of this pride. In contrast, Mary, in every moment of her life, responded with complete humility. She had angels at her side and bidding, but often didn’t use them for personal relief or benefit. Rather, she would ask to suffer more and to do penance in order to save as many souls as possible. She would have suffered in Jesus’ place, if allowed, but settled for suffering by His side during the entirety of His passion. After His resurrection, she was given the choice to enter heaven or to remain on earth. She chose to suffer on earth for more than twenty years to aid the apostles and guide the establishment of the early Church. For me, City of God Stories was accessible. I commend M. DiMaio’s accomplishment, and I highly recommend it for anyone who is interested in easing into Agreda’s Mystical City of God.