The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a solemn feast celebrated every year on 22nd August. It commemorates the honor and dignity bestowed upon Mary by God the Father. As the Mother of Jesus Christ, she is rightly honored as the Queen of Heaven and Earth.
In 1954, Pope Pius XII instituted this feast through his encyclical ‘Ad Caeli Reginam’, proclaiming Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. Mary’s queenship is closely connected with the history of salvation. Chosen by God to be the Mother of His Son, Jesus Christ—the King of Kings—she shares in His royal dignity in a unique way.
The Queenship of Mary is deeply rooted in Sacred Scripture and the Tradition of the Church. This title does not place Mary above God; rather, it recognizes the extraordinary grace and dignity given to her as the Mother of God.
Mary continues to hold a special place in the hearts of millions of faithful throughout the world. Her queenship is not a symbol of earthly authority but a sign of her faithfulness, humility, obedience to God’s will, and her loving maternal care, through which she continually leads people to Jesus Christ. Her glory always reflects the victory and glory of her Son.
Although devotion to Mary as Queen dates back to the early centuries of Christianity, Pope Pius XII formally established the feast in 1954. It was originally celebrated on 31st May. Following the liturgical reforms after the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI transferred the feast to 22nd August, the octave day of the Solemnity of the Assumption, celebrated on 15th August. This highlights the close connection between Mary’s Assumption and her heavenly coronation as Queen.
The Holy Rosary also honors Mary’s queenship. The Fifth Glorious Mystery contemplates the Coronation of the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
At the Annunciation, the Angel Gabriel revealed God’s plan of salvation to Mary, greeting her with the words, ‘Hail, full of grace.’ By her wholehearted ‘Yes’ to God’s will, Mary became the Mother of our Savior and played a unique role in God’s plan for humanity.
During the Visitation, Elizabeth greeted Mary with the words, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.’ Mary’s own hymn of praise, the Magnificat, glorifies God: ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord.’
The Book of Revelation also presents the image of ‘a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars’ (Revelation 12:1), an image that the Church has traditionally associated with the Blessed Virgin Mary in her heavenly glory.
May the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary inspire us to imitate her faith, humility, obedience, and unwavering trust in God, always leading us closer to her Son, Jesus Christ.
-Rosarito Coelho