Everyone needs a mother, and the Catholic Church believes we also need a queen.

The Queenship of Mary has its roots in the events of the Blessed Mother’s life. It was established as a feast by Pope Pius XII in 1954. The beginning and end of the encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam (On Proclaiming the Queenship of Mary), detailing the institution of this important feast, reference the need to bring more awareness of the role of Mary in our salvation as well as the need to call upon her to aid peace among nations.

As our world continues to watch the many calamities of war around the globe, there is no better time to call on Mary as Queen, including Queen of Peace.

At the end of his encyclical, Pius XII wrote:

We are instituting a feast so that all may recognize more clearly and venerate more devoutly the merciful and maternal sway of the Mother of God. We are convinced that this feast will help to preserve, strengthen and prolong that peace among nations which daily is almost destroyed by recurring crises.

Whether we are praying for our own sanctification and peace within our families and communities, peace in the Holy Land or peace between Russia and Ukraine (join Pope Leo in fasting and prayer), we can lean on the “sway” of Mary because she brings our needs to her Son. Like any loving mom, Mary cannot refuse the sincere needs of her children. This is one of the reasons why asking for Mary’s intercession is so critical. She has the power to aid us in our petitions because of her stature of grace and her relation to the King of Kings.

Prayer for Peace by Pope Pius XII

Almighty and eternal God. May your grace enkindle in all of us a love for the many unfortunate people whom poverty and misery reduce to a condition of life unworthy of human beings.

Arouse in the hearts of those who call you Father a hunger and thirst for social justice and for fraternal charity in deeds and in truth.

Grant, O Lord, peace in our days, peace to souls, peace to families, peace to our country, and peace among nations.

Amen.

Mary, Our Lady Queen of Peace, pray for us!

Mary ought to be given pride of place in the life of each disciple because she has pride of place among the saints in glory. This is due to her privileged vocation in the order of salvation. Like all Marian feasts, it is most important to focus on who Mary is and how she can aid us. We can always count on the outpouring of grace from our Heavenly Mother to assist us in leading the holy life we are called to.

How does one become more receptive to holiness? Our Queen shows us. She was the first tabernacle.

When we receive the Eucharist, Christ also resides in us as in a temple. At each Sacrifice of the Mass, we are given the chance to be conformed to the Son of God. We become like the Mother of God, bearing the Light shining forth in our souls — and better able to orient our lives around the King and Queen, who seek to bring us deeper into sanctity so that we can be witnesses of faith, which this world so needs. That is the only way that peace can reign: following the Light that defeats all darkness.

To do so, let us follow the lighted path of the Queen.