Eight days ago, we were celebrating the Feast of the
Assumption of the Virgin Mary. Today, we are
commemorating another beautiful Marian Feast, that of
the Queenship of Mary. This special Liturgical Feast was
proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on October 11, 1954
through his Encyclical Letter "Ad Caeli Reginam."
The Holy Catholic Church made this proclamation in
view of the fact that throughout its history, whether in
time of peace or in time of war, the faithful have
continuously addressed prayers of petition and hymns of
praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven. Following
the tremendous destruction that occurred during World
War II the Church turned its eyes towards Mary, the
Heavenly Queen, in the hope of her protection.
Keeping in mind that worldwide devotion to Mary
continued to be very popular, including in Fatima, to
bring the Year of Mary to a happy and beneficial
conclusion, and in response to petitions that were
received in Rome from all over the world, the Church
considered that it was appropriate to institute the Feast
of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen. Through this
proclamation, it was not the intent of the Church to
proclaim a new truth.
"From early times Christians have believed 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,' [Lk.
1:32] 'the Prince of Peace,' [Is. 9:6] the 'King of Kings
and Lord of Lords.' [Rev. 19:16]. And when Christians
reflected upon the intimate connection that exist between
a mother and a son, they readily acknowledged the
supreme royal dignity of the Mother of God." (Ad Caeli
Reginam; # 8)
"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, [Lk. 1:32-3] and on the words
of Elizabeth who greeted her with