The memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, invoked under the name of “Mary, Queen of Heaven”, takes place on August 22, eight days after the great Marian feast of the Assumption. The celebration of the Queenship of Mary, instituted in 1954 by Pope Pius XII, has a very special meaning, because Mary's coronation in heaven associates her with the redemptive work of her Son, Jesus.
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When we contemplate the different representations of the Virgin Mary, we find that a crown often adorns her head, like a queen; unlike the saints who are represented by a halo. But why is Mary said to be queen? Where does this name “Mary, Queen of Heaven” come from?
The Christian people have always recognized that Mary is queen of heaven and earth because of her divine motherhood: Mary is the “mother of my Lord” (Luke 1:43). She is the mother of he whose “kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:33). The litanies of Loreto, dating from the sixteenth century, attest to this royalty: “Queen of angels, pray for us; Queen of patriarchs, …; Queen raised to heaven, …; Queen of peace”.
Many saints and theologians also conferred the title of Queen to the Virgin Mary from the 4th century onwards. Saint Ephrem designated Mary in this way: “Queen of all beings, our most glorious Lady, the one of whom we are all the servants and the customers; the scepter who commands all.” Saint John Damascene also wrote: “She truly became the sovereign of all creatures when the Creator made her his mother.”
The liturgical feast of the Queenship of Mary was instituted much later, in 1954, after the proclamation of the dogma of the Assumption. In his encyclical Ad coeli Reginam, Pope Pius XII explains the title of Mary Queen of Heaven as follows: “we must proclaim Mary Queen not only for her divine Motherhood, but also for the singular part she has taken, by the will of God, in the work of our eternal salvation”.
The image we have of royalty is often linked to wealth and power. But this was not the type of royalty that characterized Jesus, nor his mother.
The Constitution on the Church of the Second Vatican Council states about the royalty of the Virgin Mary: "“he Immaculate Virgin, preserved free from all guilt of original sin, on the completion of her earthly sojourn, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as Queen of the universe, that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son”(Lumen Gentium, 59).
Thus, Mary, in the image of her son Jesus who gave his life for us and who “Did not come to be served, but to serve.”(Matthew 20:28), exercises a royalty of love for the world.
Throughout her life, Mary became the handmaid of the Lord, and now crowned in heaven, she is queen by helping and loving us, her children!
In his homily of August 22, 2012, Benedict XVI said of Mary: “She is the Queen of Heaven, close to God, but she is also the mother who is close to each and every one of us, who loves us and who listens to us.”
As Christians have attributed the title of “Mary Queen of Heaven” to the Blessed Virgin for decades, Pope Pius XII only formalized this tradition when, on October 11, 1954, to celebrate the divine motherhood of the Virgin Mary, he instituted the feast of the Queenship of Mary.
Originally fixed on August 31, the memorial of Mary Queen of Heaven is today celebrated on August 22 by the Catholic Church, eight days after the feast of the Assumption of Mary. These two feasts—the Assumption and the feast of Mary the Queen—actually celebrate a single mystery: the elevation, body and soul, of Mary and her coronation as Queen of Heaven.
In his encyclical Ad coeli Reginam, Pope Pius XII explains it as follows: "The solemnity of the Assumption is joyfully prolonged by the celebration of the feast of the royalty of Mary, which takes place eight days later, and in which we contemplate her who, sitting next to the king of the centuries, shines as queen and intercedes as mother".
The liturgy of the feast of Mary, Queen of Heaven insists on the intercession of Mary during the prayers of the Mass: “God, who willed that the Mother of your Son should be our Mother and our Queen, grant that, supported by her intercession, we may obtain in heaven the glory promised to your children.”
Similarly, we acclaim Mary, Queen of Heaven and Mother of Mercy, through the Salve Regina.
“O Mary, my Mother and my Queen, I give myself entirely to you. I dedicate my freedom, my will, my heart and my whole being to you without reservation. Very loving mother, since I belong to you, I beg you to keep me and protect me as your own good. Amen.” (Prayer from the novena to Mary, Queen of Hearts, Mary, Queen of the World, Mary, Queen of the Universe).
Saint Don Bosco said: “Those who trust in Mary will never be disappointed”. Indeed, Mary never fails to intercede for us with her son Jesus!
So, turn to Mary, Queen of Heaven, with confidence, because her royalty makes her the mediator of all graces! Here are some communities you can join on Hozana: