Published in 1954 during a Marian Year, Ad Caeli Reginam is Pope Pius XII's encyclical on the Queenship of Mary. In it he details the great Church history and tradition of addressing the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Queen. Why Queen? Among the many examples Pius quotes St. Alphonus Ligouri:
"Because the virgin Mary was raised to such a lofty dignity as to be the mother of the King of kings, it is deservedly and by every right that the Church has honored her with the title of 'Queen'."
Personally, I'm quite fond of the invocations of Mary as Queen that we find in the Litany of Loreto. I find they flow effortlessly from memory, and each one builds on the other: angels, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, etc. :
Queen of Angels, pray for us.
Queen of Patriarchs, pray for us.
Queen of Prophets, pray for us.
Queen of Apostles, pray for us.
Queen of Martyrs, pray for us.
Queen of Confessors, pray for us.
Queen of Virgins, pray for us.
Queen of all Saints, pray for us.
Queen conceived without original sin, pray for us.
Queen assumed into heaven, pray for us.
Queen of the most holy Rosary, pray for us.
Queen of Peace, pray for us.
The Pope paid special attention to Mary as Queen of Peace in Ad Caeli Reginam. He highlighted Our Blessed Mother as an intercessor for those who are facing religious persecution and with World War II not even ten years passed and the Korean War a fresh memory, he also used it to appeal for peace. Some sixty years later, his comments remain just as relevant to us.
May Mary, Queen of Heaven, always draw us to her son, the King of Kings!
To read Ad Caeli Reginam, click
HERE.
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(CNS photo by Gregory A. Shemitz, Long Island Catholic)
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