Did Mary remain a virgin her whole life?
Yes. Catholic teaching holds that Mary was a virgin before, during, and after the birth of Jesus — a doctrine known as the perpetual virginity of Mary. This is a defined dogma of the faith, affirmed by the Church from the earliest centuries, grounded in Scripture and Tradition.
Scriptural Foundations
The prophet Isaiah foretold: 'Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel' (Isaiah 7:14), which Matthew's Gospel explicitly applies to Mary (Matthew 1:23).
Sources & Further Reading
Scripture: Isaiah 7:14 · Matthew 1:23 · Luke 1:31 · Luke 1:34 · Matthew 12:46
Catechism of the Catholic Church: CCC 499 · CCC 503 · CCC 506 · CCC 507
Church Fathers: St. Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians 19 · St. Jerome, Against Helvidius
Go Deeper
Bible lessons that explore this topic further: