The Queenship of Mary

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O Virgin most pure, wholly unspotted,

O Mary, Mother of God,

Queen of the universe,

thou art above all the saints,

the hope of the elect and the joy of all the blessed.

It is thou who hast reconciled us with God;

thou art the only refuge of sinners

and the safe harbor of those who are shipwrecked;

thou art the consolation of the world,

the ransom of captives, 

the health of the weak, 

the joy of the afflicted, 

and the salvation of all.

We have recourse to thee, 

and we beseech thee to have pit on us.

Amen.

- St. Ephrem the Syrian

- The Prayer Book

The Queenship of Mary - Total Consecration to Mary:>>...... John J. Cardinal Carberry

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Queen of all Hearts

"...Vatican Council II in no way de-emphasized the place of Mary in the mystery of Christ and of the Church.  To the contrary, the Council has given to the world and to posterity a solid theological treatise on Mary which will be studied for centuries.  Far from de-emphasis, the whole spirit of the chapter on Mary is a spirit of praise, honor and love of Mary.  Clearly, prayerfully, and with sound scriptural and traditional teachings, Mary's role in the Church is placed in true perspective, which is the perspective of Christ.

...For those who love Mary sincerely there will come a day when an interest will be aroused in the consecration of  St. Louis Mary and will prayer and consideration the beauty and the simplicity of it will be unfolded...

...The end object of the devotion is Jesus; first, last and always, as the expression has it:  to Jesus through Mary.

...The more earnestly the devotion is practiced and lived (lived is the word), the more we shall grow in the knowledge and life and love of Jesus, even to the extend that we may fear that we are losing our love for Mary, so preoccupied we may become with Jesus.  However, this is but an illusion.  We are not ceasing to love Mary.  She is gently stepping aside and leading us to  Him who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.

Excerpt from Mary, Queen and Mother, Marian Pastoral Reflections

Prayer given by Our Blessed Mother to Blessed Anna Maria Taigi

from Esther's prayer card collection

Source: The Living Rosary

Prostrate at thy feet,
O Great Queen of Heaven,
we venerate thee with
the deepest reverence and
we confess that thou art the
Daughter of the Father,
the Mother of the Divine Word,
the Spouse of the Holy Ghost.
Thou art the storekeeper
and the almoner of the Divine Mercies...
For this reason,
we call thee Mother of Divine Compassion.
Behold us here in affliction and anguish.
Deign to show us thy true love.
We beg thee to ask the Holy Trinity
most fervently to grant us the grace
ever to conquer the devil,
and the world and our evil passions;
the efficacious grace that sanctifies the just,
converts, sinners,
destroys heresies,
enlightens infidels and
brings all men to the true faith.

Obtain for us this great gift that all the world may form but one people united in the One True Church.

Mary, Mother of Holy Hope.
Pray for us.

The Queenship of Mary

Pope Pius XII originally proclaimed May 31st as the Feast day of the Queenship of Mary.

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"...8. From early times Christians have believed, and not without reason, that she of whom was born the Son of the Most High received privileges of grace above all other beings created by God. He "will reign in the house of Jacob forever,"[5] "the Prince of Peace,"[6] the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."[7] And when Christians reflected upon the intimate connection that obtains between a mother and a son, they readily acknowledged the supreme royal dignity of the Mother of God.

9. Hence it is not surprising that the early writers of the Church called Mary "the Mother of the King" and "the Mother of the Lord," basing their stand on the words of St. Gabriel the archangel, who foretold that the Son of Mary would reign forever,[8] and on the words of Elizabeth who greeted her with reverence and called her "the Mother of my Lord."[9] Thereby they clearly signified that she derived a certain eminence and exalted station from the royal dignity of her Son..."

Pope Pius XII's Encyclical: Ad Caeli Reginam

"Mary, then, is a Queen; but for our common consolation, be it known that she is a Queen so sweet, clement, and so ready to help us that Holy Church wills that we salute her as Queen of Mercy.  Mary is Queen of Mercy as Jesus is King of Justice."

St. Alphonsus de Liguori - Glories of Mary

Basilica of Fatima, Portugal

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"The purpose of the universal feast of the Queenship of Mary which we again happily observe and welcome this week is to stir up in our souls renewed love and devotion to our Mother and Queen and to invite all to rededicate themselves to her Immaculate Heart.  These are indeed days of tension and worry throughout the world with talk of total destruction to mankind by nuclear weapons.  Mary, however, our Queen and our Mother, has come to the rescue of civilization in the centuries that have passed. She will do it again if we but turn to her and beseech her for true peace throughout the world.  Would that the prayer of Pope Pius XII to Mary our Queen be realized in the minds and wills of all.

'Reign over the minds of men, that they may seek only what is true; over their wills, that they may follow solely what is good; over their hearts, that they may love nothing but what you yourself love.'"

Homily of John J. Cardinal Carberry given on the occasion of the Queenship of Mary, May, 1959. Source:  Mary Queen and Mother:  Marian Pastoral Reflections by John J. Cardinal Carberry

The Queenship of Mary

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Mary's love for us neither ceased nor diminished after her assumption into Heaven. It rather increased there, for now she sees human miseries all the more. How unfortunate we would be if Mary did not lovingly pray for us from Heaven.

St. Anselm

Pray, O Mary, pray and never cease to pray until you shall see me safe in paradise, where I shall be sure of possessing and loving my God together with you, my dearest Mother, forever and ever.

Source Mary Hope of the World by Rev. James Alberione, S.T.D., St. Paul Edition

The Feast of the Queenship of Mary

Mahalo to Thomas of the St. Michael's Center. For more info on this feast, click the title above.

On August 22 the faithful, under the guidance of an unerring Catholic instinct, commemorates the Queenship of Mary. After she was assumed into Heaven, Jesus took His Mother to a throne next to His own. The Blessed Virgin Mary now shares in the glory of her resurrected Son, because she had a part in His work of saving souls. Mary was the Mother of Christ, she carried Him in her womb, gave Him birth, raised Him through childhood and into adulthood and stayed with Him when He was on the Cross.

Mary shared in the work of the divine Redeemer. From this union with Christ the King she assuredly obtains so eminent a status that she stands high above all created things; and upon this same union with Christ is based that royal privilege enabling her to distribute the treasures of the kingdom of the divine Redeemer. And lastly, this same union with Christ is the fountain of the inexhaustible efficacy of her motherly intercession in the presence of the Son and of the Father.

Without doubt, then, does our holy Virgin possess a dignity that far transcends all other creatures. In the eyes of her Son she takes precedence over everyone else. She obtains all graces for us through her prayers. As our mother and as Jesus's Mother, she will always intercede for us to her Son, and lead us closer to Him. So we should pray to her in all our needs, and everyday. Mary is Queen to all of us.