When I was growing up, my family celebrated the Queenship of Mary by participating in a rosary procession between two local parishes. We began with Mass at one church, processed with a statue of Our Lady through the streets while praying the rosary and singing hymns, and concluded with Benediction at the other church.
Those with more refined spiritualities may not find this popular piety palatable. American society tends to resist the idea of royalty with its special privileges, imperialist heritage, gendered connotations, and association with divine favor. Even so, something about royalty still captivates the imaginations of many. Those in the neighborhood who opened their doors to watch, joined the procession, or ran up to touch the statue found their hearts stirred.
Behind this devotion is not a preoccupation with fetish or spectacle. It is at its root an expression of hope; it is about seeing who we are in God’s eyes. God, who created us and redeemed us, wants us to share in divine life. That we celebrate Mary’s Queenship on the octave of her Assumption is significant. Mary’s glory in heaven foreshadows that “crown” destined for all God’s children.
The Church’s use of royal images is meant to convey the dignity and authority bestowed upon us in baptism. We who share in Christ’s death by grace, share also in his resurrection. This gift implies a new way of living that is altogether different from the pomp and circumstance of worldly power.
Mary, Queen of Heaven, pray for us!
