Celebrations
- “Feast of All Saints, instituted in honour of Our Lady and all the saints, at Rome, by Pope Boniface IV about the year 608, and, since, in all churches of Christendom, by Pope Gregory IV, about the year 829.”[1] Pope Pius XII added the invocation “Queen of All Saints” to the Litany of the Saints after being released from prison on May 24, 1814.[2]
- Likewise, in Ancona, Italy (the capital of the Marche region), there is an image of Our Lady, Queen of All Saints, also called Our Lady of Saint Ciriaco (who venerated in the Cathedral where the image is housed). The image was gifted to the Cathedral after a 1615 miracle by a captain Bartolo from Venice who, in the midst of a turbulent night sea, saw his son fall into the water and begged Our Lady to save him. The miracle was granted and in gratitude he gifted the image to the Church.[3] On June 25, 1796, the image began to move and open her eyes (they were slightly open in the original), and did so for over six months, revealing eyes of compassion. Napoleon I visited the image in 1797; thinking it to be a trick, he decided to remove some of Our Lady’s jewels but, in the presence of priests and many onlookers, he suddenly grew pale and shaken, and ordered the jewels replaced. The people acclaimed that Mary had opened the eyes “even of the General”![4]
- Miracle of Our Lady of the Palm (Cadiz, Spain) on November 1st, 1755: at about ten o’clock in the morning, an earthquake produced a tidal wave that entered into the city. At the sight of the approaching wall of water, the two priests entered into the street with a banner of Our Lady; the water had almost reached their feet, when one, a father Francisco Macias, firmly planted the standard and said, “Hasta aqui, Madre mia!” “Thus far, My Mother.” With that, the gigantic wave simply turned back, saving the town and its inhabitants.[5]
- A similar motive is assigned celebration of Nossa Senhora do Bom Sucesso, in Cacilhas, Almada, Setúbal, Lisbon. That same year, on the occasion of the earthquake, the citizens in Cacilhas ran into their church and prayed for protection. In the same way, the waters receded.
- On November 1st, 1937, the first of the apparitions of the Madonna of Heede to four children in Heede, Germany.
- In 1950, Munificentissimus Deus, apostolic constitution on the Assumption, was issued by Pope Pius XII.
Meditation:
- To be a saint is to live in conformity with God’s will. . . . Holiness is the love of God and a close union with Him. From the first moment of Mary’s creation, she had greater virtues and a more intense love for God than all the saints and angels combined. “Her holiness as far surpasses their combined sanctity as the waters of the ocean surpass those of a steam.” In the book of Revelation (7:9, 11-12), Saint John writes: “I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: “Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” They will verify the prophecy of their Queen, “all generations shall call me blessed,” by singing her praises also and honoring her, the Mother of God, the Mother of their Savior and Redeemer, through whose merits they now enjoy the blessings of Heaven. They shall bless God because He showed the might of His arm in creating immaculate His Virgin Mother, their Queen.”[6] Do we remember how blessed we are to have Mary as our Mother? That she is our model, our mother, and helper? Do we strive to be part of those generations that will call her blessed? Do we try to imitate Her, not just with words, but with actions?
