Today is the Feast of the Queenship of Mary, a special Marian celebration in the liturgical calendar. It was established by Pope Pius XII on October 11, 1954. It was originally celebrated on May 31st but was moved to Ausgust 22nd by Pope Paul VI because of its logical follow-up pattern after the Assumption of Mary on August 15th.
The title, "Queen of Heaven," (Latin Regina Caeli) is one of the many Queen titles of the Blessed Virgin. For centuries, Catholics while praying the Litany of Loreto was already invoking Mary as the Queen of Heaven long before the dogma was created by the Roman Catholic Church. The first basis for the Queenship of Mary was developed at the Council of Ephesus when it defined Mary as the Mother of God. She is Queen by "divine relationship," by being the Mother of the King of Kings.
Mary is Queen of Heaven by the singular grace of God the Father Who has willed her to play an exceptional role in the work for the salvation of humanity. For this reason, many devotees refer to her as Co Redemptrist. Pope Benedict XVI writes, " Because of her humble and unconditional acceptance of God's will, God exalted her over all creatures and Christ crowned her as "Queen of Heaven."
She is Queen by "Grace." Mary is "full of grace" of the highest order!
Mary's power as Queen is "intercessory." She intercedes for us. When we say that her power in the distribution of graces extends to everyone, we do not mean that she is the "source" of those graces but that by her prayer she can obtain from her Divine Son all the graces necessary for souls. Pope Pius IX writes, " She intercedes powerfully for us with a mother's heart, obtains what she seeks and cannot be refused by her Divine Son." Jesus cannot refuse what His Mother asks because she will never ask for anything contrary to the will of God or our best interests. The feast of Mary as Queen is an affirmation of the dogma of her "Mediation. "
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As Catholics, we say our prayers of Consecration to Mary. The Catholic Encyclopedia defines "consecration" as an act by which a person is dedicated to a sacred service or an act which separates an object or a location from a common mode to one of sacred use. The Catholic Church makes it clear that the use of the term "consecration" with regard to Mary is an "entrustment" to Mary to show their devotion and dedication to Mary as the Mother of God, though holy, is not herself a divine being. In Catholic teaching, consecration to Mary does not diminish or substitute the love of God but enhances it, for all consecration is ultimately made to God.
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