Papal Justifications for a Feast of the Queenship of Mary

When Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary and assigned it to May 31, he explained his decision in the 1954 encyclical Ad caeli Reginam, and in his November 1, 1954 sermon at St. Mary Major.

As one would expect from the differences in genre, the encyclical presents an erudite overview of the history of devotion to the Blessed Virgin under the title of Queen, as well as a robust theological justification for this devotion. The sermon, on the other hand, brings the hay down to the sheep with simpler explanations and more practical reasons for the feast. The original Italian sermon is available on the Vatican’s website. Here, for the first time, is a rough English translation.

I invite the reader to consider one question as he reads the sermon: In what ways is Pius XII’s feast of the Queenship of Mary similar to or different from Pius XI’s feast of Christ the King? I was struck by the balancing act the Holy Father was striving to achieve in this speech. On one hand, he disavows an exclusive monarchism or specific political agenda when he points out that the Queenship of Mary is compatible with a number of different regime types. On the other, he intimates in so many words that he hopes that the feast will be an aid to Christians behind the Iron Curtain, a shot in the arm to Western leaders in the Cold War (whom he portrays as exhausted and feckless and afflicted by “a dangerous psychological depression”), and a balm for a world threatened by nuclear annihilation.[1] On one hand, he praises Mary as the acies ordinata, the terrifying Victrix arrayed in battle formation; on the other, he is quick to add that there is no “belligerent intention” behind the metaphor, but only a reminder that Mary was tough as nails and got the job done, and she will do the same for us.

And I suggest the following thesis: Pius XII’s feast of the Queenship of Mary is a development of Pius XI’s concept of the social reign of Christ the King, implemented with the Cold War in mind but still relevant in every day and age.

Finally, I invite readers to enjoy previous articles on the subject by Peter Kwasniewski and Gregory DiPippo.

Sermon of His Holiness Pope Pius XII

In Honor of Mary the Queen

The testimonies of homage and devotion towards the Mother of God, which the entire Catholic world has multiplied in the past months [during the Marian Year of 1954], have splendidly demonstrated, both in public demonstrations and in the most modest undertakings of private piety, its love towards the Virgin Mary and faith in her incomparable privileges. But in order to crown all these events with a particularly significant solemnity of the Marian Year, We wanted to establish and celebrate the Feast of the Queenship of Mary.

None of you, beloved sons and daughters, will be surprised by this, nor will you think that it was a question of decreeing a new title for the Virgin. Have not the Christian faithful been repeating for centuries in the Loreto Litanies the invocations which greet Mary with the name of Queen? And does not the recitation of the Holy Rosary, proposing in pious meditation the memory of the joys, sorrows, and glories of the Mother of God, end with the radiant memory of Mary welcomed into Heaven by her Son and adorned by Him with the royal diadem?

It was therefore not Our intention to introduce something new, but rather to make shine before the eyes of the world, in the present circumstances, a truth capable of providing a remedy for its ills, freeing it from its anxieties and directing it towards the path of health, that it anxiously searches for.

Even less than that of her Son, Mary’s queenship must not be conceived in analogy with the realities of modern political life. Without a doubt, the wonders of Heaven cannot be represented except through the very imperfect words and expressions of human language: but this does not mean at all that, to honor Mary, one must adhere to a specific form of government or a particular political structure. Mary’s queenship is an otherworldly reality, which however, at the same time penetrates into the deepest recesses of hearts and touches them in their profound essence, in what is spiritual and immortal about them.

The origin of Mary’s glories, the solemn moment that illuminates her entire person and her mission, is the one in which, full of grace, she addressed the Fiat to the Archangel Gabriel, which expressed her assent to the divine disposition; in this way she became Mother of God and Queen, and she received the royal office of watching over the unity and peace of the human race. Through her we have the firm faith that humanity will gradually set out on this path of salvation; she will guide the leaders of the nations and the hearts of the people towards harmony and charity.

What therefore could Christians do in the present hour, in which the unity and peace of the world, and indeed the very sources of life, are in danger, if not turn their gaze towards she who appears to them to be clothed with royal power? Just as she already enveloped the divine Child, firstborn of all creatures and of all creation, in her mantle, (see Col. 1, 15) so she now deigns to envelop all men and all peoples with her vigilant tenderness: worthy, as the Seat of Wisdom, to make the truth of the inspired words shine, which the Church applies to her: Per me reges regnant, et legum conditores iusta decernunt; per me princes imperant, et powerfules decernunt iustitiam – “Through me kings reign, and magistrates administer justice; through me princes command, and sovereigns govern righteously.” [2] If the world currently struggles tirelessly to forge unity and to ensure peace, the invocation of the reign of Mary is, above all earthly means and all human designs which are always defective in some way, the voice of Christian faith and hope, firm and strong with divine promises and inexhaustible help, that this reign of Mary has spread for the salvation of humanity.

However, from the inexhaustible goodness of the most blessed Virgin, whom we invoke today as the royal Mother of the Lord, we also await other no less precious benefits. Not only must she annihilate the dark plans and iniquitous works of the enemies of a united and Christian humanity, but she must also communicate something of her spirit to the men of today. By this we mean the courageous as well as audacious will which, in difficult circumstances and in the face of dangers and obstacles, knows how to take the resolutions that are necessary without hesitation and pursue their execution with an unfailing energy, in such a way as to make the weak, the tired, and the doubtful follow in its footsteps, those who no longer believe in the justice and nobility of the cause they must defend. Who does not see to what degree Mary implemented this spirit in herself and deserved the praise due to the “strong woman”? Her Magnificat, this canticle of joy and invincible trust in the divine power, whose works she undertakes to carry out, fills her with holy audacity, with a strength unknown to nature.

How We would like all those who today have the responsibility for the good and correct conduct of public affairs to imitate this shining example of royal sentiment! Instead, are we not perhaps also sometimes noticing in their ranks a sort of exhaustion, resignation, passivity, which prevents them from facing the arduous problems of the present moment with firmness and perseverance? Do not some people sometimes let events drift, instead of dominating them with healthy and constructive action?

Is it not therefore urgent to mobilize all the living forces now in reserve, to stimulate those who are not yet fully aware of the dangerous psychological depression into which they have fallen? If Mary’s queenship finds a completely appropriate symbol in the acies ordinata, in the army lined up in battle, [3] certainly no one will want to think of any belligerent intention, but only of the strength of mind, which we admire to a heroic degree in the Virgin, and which proceeds from the awareness of working validly for the order of God in the world.

The Blessed Virgin Mary at the Battle of Lepanto

May Our invocation to the queenship of the Mother of God obtain for men attentive to their responsibilities the grace to overcome dejection and indolence, in an hour in which no one can afford an instant of rest, when in many regions the right freedom is oppressed, the truth obscured by the work of mendacious propaganda, and the forces of evil seem almost unleashed on the earth!

If Mary’s queenship can suggest to the rulers of nations attitudes and advice that respond to the needs of the hour, she does not cease to pour out the abundance of her graces on all the peoples of the earth and on all social classes. After the atrocious spectacle of the Passion at the foot of the Cross, in which she had offered the hardest sacrifice that could be asked of a Mother, she continued to pour out her maternal care on the first Christians, her adopted children. Queen more than any other for the elevation of her soul and for the excellence of divine gifts, she does not desist from bestowing all the treasures of her affection and sweet care on miserable humanity. Far from being founded on the demands of her rights and the desire for a haughty dominion, Mary’s reign knows only one aspiration: the full gift of herself in her highest and total generosity.

Thus Mary exercises her queenship, accepting our homage and not disdaining to listen to even the most humble and imperfect prayers. Therefore, eager as we are to interpret the feelings of all the Christian people, We address this fervent supplication to the Blessed Virgin:

From the depths of this land of tears, from which aching humanity painfully drags itself; among the waves of this sea of ours perpetually agitated by the winds of passion; we raise our eyes to you, O Mary, beloved Mother, to comfort us by contemplating your glory, and to greet you as the Queen and Lady of Heaven and earth, as our Queen and Lady.

We want to exalt this queenship of yours with the legitimate pride of children and recognize it as due to the supreme excellence of your entire being, oh sweetest and true Mother of Him, who is King by his own right, by inheritance, by conquest.

Reign, O Mother and Lady, showing us the path of holiness, directing and assisting us, so that we never stray from it.

As in the highest Heaven you exercise your primacy over the Hosts of Angels, who acclaim you as their Sovereign; above the legions of Saints, who delight in the contemplation of your resplendent beauty; thus you reign over the entire human race, above all by opening the paths of faith to those who do not yet know your Son. Reign over the Church, which professes and celebrates your sweet dominion and turns to you as a safe refuge in the midst of the calamities of our times. But especially reign over that portion of the Church which is persecuted and oppressed, giving it the fortitude to endure adversity, the constancy not to bend under unjust pressures, the light not to fall into enemy snares, the firmness to resist open attacks, and at all times the unshakable fidelity to your reign.

Reign over our intellects, so that they seek only the truth; over our wills, so that they follow only the good; over our hearts, so that they love only what you yourself love.

Reign over individuals and families, over societies and nations, over the assemblies of the powerful, over the advice of the wise, over the simple aspirations of the humble.

Reign in the streets and squares, in the cities and villages, in the valleys and mountains, in the air, on the land, and on the sea;

And welcome the pious prayer of those who know that yours is a reign of mercy, where every supplication is heard, every pain is comforted, every misfortune is relieved, every infirmity is healed, and where, almost at the nod of your gentle hands, from the same death life rises up with a smile.

Obtain for us that those who now in all parts of the world acclaim you and recognize you as Queen and Lady may one day enjoy the fullness of your reign in Heaven, in the vision of your Son, who lives with the Father and the Holy Spirit. and reigns forever and ever. Amen!

Notes

[1] The Soviet Union had developed its own atomic weapons by this point, and eight months before Pius XII promulgated the feast, the United States successfully tested the first hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll--to this day the most powerful nuclear device that the U.S. has ever detonated.

[2] Prov. 8, 15-16; Brev. Rom. in Comm. Fest. B. Mariae Virg. I Noct. Lect. I.

[3] Off. in Assumptione B. M. V. passim.

Corpus Christi 2024

In those days: Elijah rising up went whithersoever he had a mind: and he came to Bersabee of Juda, and left his servant there. And he went forward, one day’s journey into the desert. And when he was there, and sat under a juniper tree, he requested for his soul that he might die, and said, “It is enough for me, Lord, take away my soul, for I am no better than my fathers.” And he cast himself down, and slept in the shadow of the juniper tree: and behold an angel of the Lord touched him, and said to him, “Arise and eat.” He looked, and behold there was at his head a hearth cake, and a vessel of water: and he ate and drank, and he fell asleep again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said to him, “Arise, eat: for thou hast yet a great way to go.” And he arose, and ate, and drank, and walked in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights, unto the mount of God, Horeb. (3 Kings 19, 3-8, the first reading of the Mass of Corpus Christi in the Ambrosian Rite.)

Elijah and the Angel; folio 65v of the Hours of Henry II of France, Bibliothque nationale de France, Lat. 1429

When the holy Elijah was growing weary on the way, did he not walk for forty days, in the strength of (that) food), and the angel gave it to him? But if Jesus shall feed thee, and thou shalt keep the food received, thou shalt walk non for forty days and for forty nights, but (I make bold to say this, supported by examples from the Scriptures) for forty years, and thou shalt go forth from the bounds of Egypt, until thou come to a broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, which the Lord swore He would give to our fathers. Thou must seek after the strength of this land, which the meek man possesseth. I do not speak of this land, which is arid, but that which is strengthened by the food of Christ, which is established under the rule of the eternal King, and frequented by those who dwell among the Saints. (St Ambrose, Commentary on St Luke, 6.75; PL XV 1688A)

Saint Thomas Aquinas with Saints Ambrose, Augustine, Pope Gregory the Great and Jerome contemplating the Blessed Sacrament, by Erasmus de Bie (1629-75). Public domain image from Wikimedia Commons.

Here are a few other Ambrosian items of interest related to today’s feast, with thanks to Nicola. This illuminated letter decorates the Ingressa (the equivalent of the Introit) on the feast of Corpus Christi in the Arcimboldi Missal, ca. 1495 (Bibl. Cap. Metr. II.D.1.13); a cleric and a layman adore the Blessed Sacrament. The cleric is probably Guido Antonio Arcimboldi, who commissioned the book on the occasion of the investiture of Ludovico Maria Sforza as Duke of Milan by the Emperor Maximilian I.

The first page of the Mass of Corpus Christi from an Ambrosian Missal printed in 1522. In the illustration after the rubrics (next to the Ingressa), a bishop carries the Blessed Sacrament in procession; notice that the monstrance is cylindrical, rather than flat, and he is still wearing his miter, customs which are both still observed to this day. - The traditional Ambrosian Mass of Corpus Christ is that composed for the Roman Rite by St Thomas Aquinas, with the necessary adjustments to the form of the rite, including the Prophetic reading given above; the Lauda Sion is not said, since the Sequence was never adopted in the Ambrosian Rite.

The main sanctuary of the Duomo of Milan, decorated for Corpus Christi in 1963.

Details of a painting which shows the Corpus Christi procession in the Duomo in the 1830s, during the reign of Archduke Rainer Joseph, the second Viceroy of the Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia, who is seen in the procession together with his wife, Princess Elizabeth of Savoy.

The archbishop carrying the Sacrament is Cardinal Carlo Gaetano di Gaisruck, an Austrian (hence his very non-Italian last name) appointed to the see of Milan in 1816 by the Hapsburg Emperor of Austria, the ruler on whose behalf Milan, and a large part of northern Italy, were governed by the Viceroy.

A few photos from a photopost of six years ago of Corpus Christi at the church of Santa Maria della Consolazione in Milan. The vestments are red, which in the Ambrosian tradition is the liturgical color of the whole season from Pentecost until the third Sunday of October, on which the dedication of the cathedral of Milan is celebrated. A decorative collar called a cappino is attached to the top of a chasuble, dalmatic or tunicle at the back.

During the incensations, the chasuble is held up higher than is typical in the Roman Rite, parallel to the floor. The thurible has no top, and is swung in circles in a manner than keeps its contents from flying out. (This takes some practice.)

The acolytes bowing at the conclusion of the Oratio super populum, the equivalent of the Collect.

The Mass was celebrated coram Sanctissimo; note the form of the monstrance, which is smaller than a typical Roman one, and cylindrical, a type which was very common in the Middle Ages, as may be seen in innumerable illustrations in medieval liturgical books.

Benediction after the Mass.

The Paleo-Christian Basilica of St Simplician in Milan

On the Ambrosian calendar, today is the very ancient feast of a group of three martyrs called Sisinnius, Martyrius and Alexander. They were originally from Cappadocia in Asia Minor, but in the days of St Ambrose, came to Milan, then the de facto imperial capital. At that time, all of northern Italy belonged to the ecclesiastical province of Milan, and St Vigilius, the bishop of Trent, had asked his metropolitan for assistance in evangelizing his region. The mission was entrusted to the three Cappadocians, Sisinnius being ordained deacon, Martyrius a lector, and Alexander a porter. In the valley of Anaunia to the north of Trent, they were able to make a good number of converts, and build a church in one of the villages. (All the photos in this article are by Nicola de’ Grandi.)

The relics of St Sisinnius, Martyrius and Alexander in the basilica of St Simplician in Milan. 

Here, they were attacked by the local pagans on the day of a festival, and Sisinnius was beaten so badly that he died a few hours later. In the letter describing their martyrdom, St Vigilius notes that Martyrius was able to hide in a garden attached to the church, but he was unwilling to abandon the sacred place; when he was discovered and taken the next day, the pagans had to fix him to a stake in order to drag him away. Before they could get him to the idol before which they would have sought to compel him to offer sacrifice, he died from being dragged over the sharp stones on the route. Alexander was also taken, and having resisted all attempts to make him repudiate the Faith, he was thrown alive in the fire on which the bodies of the other two were being burned. As happened with many other martyrs, the faithful carefully gathered up the Saints’ ashes, and brought them to Vigilius, who later built a new church on the site of the martyrdom. On two different occasions, Vigilius sent relics of the martyrs to a fellow bishop, once to St Simplician, St Ambrose’s personal friend and later successor, and again to St John Chrysostom; the letters which accompanied them both survive. (Simplician, by the way, was the priest of Milan chosen to complete Ambrose’s instruction in the Faith when the latter, still a catechumen, was chosen bishop by popular acclamation. He outlived his famous student, even though he was older than him, but only by a few years.)

During his time as bishop of Milan, St Ambrose had built four basilicas at roughly the four cardinal points of the city, dedicated to the Apostles, the Prophets, the Martyrs and the Virgins, as a way of reinforcing the city’s Christian character and placing it under the protection of the Saints. When the relics of the martyrs Gervasius and Protasius were discovered, they were placed in the Basilica of the Martyrs on the west side of the city; St Ambrose then arranged for himself to be buried there with them, and the church has subsequently been renamed for him. The same happened with St Simplician, who placed the relics of the three martyrs of Anaunia in the basilica of the Virgins on the north side of the city, arranging for himself to be buried there, and the church is now renamed for him.

The relics of St Simplician in the same church.

As is almost always the case with such ancient churches, the building has undergone many transformations since its original construction. However, the basic structure of the chapel made to house the martyrs’ relics survives; recent archeological study has confirmed that it dates to the very late 4th or early 5th century, the period of Simplician’s episcopacy.

The basilica originally had only one nave, and a trussed wooden roof; the pilasters that divide it into three naves and the brick vaults of the ceiling were added later.

The external walls are also the originals of the paleochristian church, and although the upper part has been rebuilt, this is the only one of St Ambrose’s four basilicas which still stands at its original height, just over 72 feet. The pavement level of the church, however, has been raised by about 6 feet.

The modern façade was added in 1870, a very creditable reconstruction of the northern Italian Romanesque style.

External view of the south transept, a medieval rebuilding.

In the foreground, the chapel of the martyrs, which was originally detached from the main basilica; to the right of the chapel, the original paleo-christian arcades of the basilica’s north transept. The apse seen to the left of the chapel was added in the 11th or 12th century.

Fresco of the Coronation of the Virgin in the apse, ca. 1510, by Ambrogio da Fossano, also known as Bergognone (1470 ca. - 1523).

The monastic choir, which was considerably enlarged in 1517. This necessitated moving the high altar, which led to the discovery underneath it of the relics of Ss Simplician, the three martyrs of Anaunia, with whom were also buried Vigilius of Trent, and three Sainted bishops of Milan, Benignus, Ampellius and Gerontius.

The tabernacle of the main altar; the names of the principal Saints whose relics are in the basilica are written on the altar frontal.

The chapel of the Holy Rosary...

which also has a beautiful tabernacle.

Photopost Request: Corpus Christi 2024

Our next major photopost will be for the feast of Corpus Christi, whether celebrated tomorrow or on Sunday; please send your photos to photopost@newliturgicalmovement.org, and be sure to include the name and location of the church, and any other information you think important. As always, we are very glad to receive images of celebrations in both the Ordinary and Extraordinary Form, or the Ordinariate Use, as well as Vespers and other parts of the Office. Feel free to send in other events recently celebrated at your church such as Pentecost or first Masses.

Last year, this series got up to a record-smashing six posts, and the sixth post somehow became the single most viewed post ever on our Facebook page, by a gigantic margin. Let’s see if we can match or even beat that, as we keep up the good work of evangelizing through beauty!

From the first Corpus Christi photopost of last yearthe first Corpus Christi photopost of last year: the procession from the Oxford Oratory makes a station at the church of their Dominican neighbors at Blackfriars.

From the second post: Adoration at the church of the Annunciation in Imperia, Italy.

From the third post: night-time procession from the cathedral basilica of Nossa Senhora do Pilar, in São João Del Rei, Minas Gerais, Brazil, sent in by one of our most faithful contributors, Mr João Melo.

From the fourth post, a special edition dedicated to just the city of London: a station at the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family in Exile.

From the fifth post: the annual streets-of-New-York shot by the mighty Mr Arrys Ortañez, at the procession from the church of the Holy Innocents.

From the sixth post: Adoration before the procession at the abbey of St Bernard in Cullman, Alabama, celebrated by then newly-ordained Fr Paschal Pautler.