Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

August 22, 2016

Having observed the Feast of the Assumption of Mary on August 15th, when Christ took Mary up into heaven, we now celebrate her Queenship over all creation. It is important to distinguish between the Ascension of our Lord who rises to his heavenly enthronement by the power of his own Divinity and the Assumption of Mary. Mary did not ascend under her own power. She is assumed into heaven by the power of her Son through the Holy Spirit. Moreover, our Lady’s Assumption is a means to the end of her coronation and Queenship.

Mary functions not only as the Mother of Christ, (Luke 1) but also as the mother of all of the children of God (Revelation 12:17). Exercising her maternal love, she intercedes unceasingly on behalf of those who keep the commandments of Christ. Pope Pius XII’s encyclical letter, Ad Caeli Reginam, establishing the Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary notes in part:

"Let all, therefore, try to approach with greater trust the throne of grace and mercy of our Queen and Mother, and beg for strength in adversity, light in darkness, consolation in sorrow; above all let them strive to free themselves from the slavery of sin and offer an unceasing homage, filled with filial loyalty, to their Queenly Mother. Let her churches be thronged by the faithful, her feast-days honored; may the beads of the Rosary be in the hands of all; may Christians gather, in small numbers and large, to sing her praises in churches, in homes, in hospitals, in prisons. May Mary’s name be held in highest reverence, a name sweeter than honey and more precious than jewels; may none utter blasphemous words, the sign of a defiled soul, against that name graced with such dignity and revered for its motherly goodness; let no one be so bold as to speak a syllable which lacks the respect due to her name."

In the economy of salvation, our Blessed Mother, through various apparitions to individuals on earth, has issued messages of grace, warning and repentance. In her glorified body now experiencing Beatitude, Mary prefigures our ultimate end, if we persevere in love. Whether in thanksgiving or in need, may our prayers of petition and hymns of praise to our most benevolent and exalted Mother be heard. O God, who made the Mother of your Son to be our Mother and our Queen, graciously grant that, sustained by her intercession, we will know in the heavenly Kingdom the glory promised to your children. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who reigns with You in unity with the Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.