Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024

Location: All Parishes

The memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary is celebrated soon after the solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Aug. 15.) because it follows this event. The queenship is celebrated in the fifth glorious mystery of the rosary. "Finally the immaculate virgin, preserved free from all stain of original sin, when the course of her earthly life was finished, was taken up body and soul into heavenly glory, and exalted by the Lord as queen over all things, so that she might be the more fully conformed to her Son, the Lord of lords and conqueror of sin and death." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 966). The feast of the queenship of Mary was established during the universal Year of Mary by Pope Pius XII in 1954. This followed his declaration that the assumption of Mary was a dogma of faith in 1950. In his encyclical, "Ad Caeli Reginam" ("To the Queen of Heaven"), he details the long held tradition of recognizing Mary as queen. "So with complete justice St. John Damascene could write: 'When she became mother of the Creator, she truly became queen of every creature.' Likewise, it can be said that the heavenly voice of the Archangel Gabriel was the first to proclaim Mary's royal office." Learn more.