Queenship of Mary---Our Parish Feast Day!

Eight days after the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, the Church celebrates the Queenship of Mary. This feast points to Jesus as King of Heaven and Earth. It celebrates that Mary, as the Mother of Jesus the King, is by God's grace, the Queen Mother in Heaven. She is uniquely conformed to her Son and He exults her and gives her the role of praying for us as Queen Mother.

This is not a holy day of obligation. But it is an especially important feast in the life of St. Mary's parish because it is our patronal feast day. We are named after Mary under this title. 

Optional Scripture readings for the feast are HERE

The Gospel of the day is the Annunciation, in which the Angel Gabriel says that Mary will be mother of Jesus, a King in the line of David. The Davidic kings of Israel often gave a special role to their mothers, and this helps us to understand Mary's role as Queen. And the miracle at the wedding in Cana, described in the Gospel of John, shows that Mary brings our requests to her Son.

Below are two well-known Marian prayers acknowledging Mary's Queenship.

Queen of Heaven (Regina caeli)

V. Queen of Heaven, rejoice, alleluia. 
R. For He whom you did merit to bear, alleluia. 
V. Has risen, as he said, alleluia. 
R. Pray for us to God, alleluia.
V. Rejoice and be glad, O Virgin Mary, alleluia. 
R. For the Lord has truly risen, alleluia.

Let us pray: O God, who gave joy to the world through the resurrection of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, grant we beseech Thee, that through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, His Mother, we may obtain the joys of everlasting life. Through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hail, Holy Queen (Salve, Regina)

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.
To thee do we cry, 
poor banished children of Eve.
To thee do we send up our sighs,
mourning and weeping in this valley of tears.
Turn then, most gracious advocate,
thine eyes of mercy toward us,
and after this our exile
show unto us the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
O clement, O loving,
O sweet Virgin Mary. 

The Assumption of Mary

On the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we celebrate that Jesus brought Mary, body and soul, into Heaven as soon as her life on Earth was finished. We see God's great love and His power over death.

The feast also reminds us that we, like Mary, are called to be saints by God's grace and to one day be with God in Heaven, body and soul.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains

[T}he 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. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians. (Paragraph 996)

See the readings for the Mass of the day HERE.

The Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary is a holy day of obligation, meaning that all Catholics are obliged to attend Mass on the feast day or its vigil to worship God and celebrate together (unless prevented by legitimate reason, such as health issues, care of infants, travel difficulties, and the like).

Mosaic of the Assumption of Mary in the Rosary Garden of the Basilica of the National Shrine in Washington, DC