Queenship of Mary

Hail Holy Queen

Rooted in Sacred Scripture and professed in prayers and hymns, the Catholic Church considers the Blessed Virgin Mary to be the Queen of Heaven and Earth.

The Old Testament kings made their mothers the queen, instead of their wives. King Solomon’s mother even had a throne at his right hand and wore a crown. The mother of our Savior should be honored at least that much.

She is highly honored in a special way, more than any other saint, but although she is our queen, Mary is never the subject of our worship or adoration. 

Mary’s coronation as Queen of Heaven and Earth is meditated on as the Fifth Glorious Mystery of the Rosary.

The Church celebrates the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary each year on August 22, on the Octave of her Assumption into Heaven.

Mary is Queen of Heaven and Earth:

A queen mother who is obedient to the King and helps her royal subjects:

The queen mother brings us to her Son:

For “just as Christ, because He redeemed us, is our Lord and King by a special title, so the Blessed Virgin also (is our queen), on account of the unique manner in which she assisted in our redemption, by giving of her own substance, by freely offering Him for us, by her singular desire and petition for, and active interest in, our salvation.”

Pope Pius XII, Ad Caeli Reginam, October 11, 1954

Scripture mentions the queen mother along with the king:

The queen mother as advocate and intercessor:

“All generations will call me blessed”: “The Church’s devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.” The Church rightly honors “the Blessed Virgin with special devotion. From the most ancient times the Blessed Virgin has been honored with the title of ‘Mother of God,’ to whose protection the faithful fly in all their dangers and needs. . . . This very special devotion . . . differs essentially from the adoration which is given to the incarnate Word and equally to the Father and the Holy Spirit, and greatly fosters this adoration.” The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an “epitome of the whole Gospel,” express this devotion to the Virgin Mary.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 971

Mary, full of grace, also exerts a fullness of royal power:

A unique role in salvation history:

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

Luke 1: 30-33

A woman in Heaven wearing a crown of twelve stars:

The queen mother in the midst of a great battle:

The Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of the Catholic Church

The fullness of the faith:

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