Multitude of titles expresses love for the Mother of God
CHARLOTTE — A hallmark of Catholicism is love for Jesus’ mother, Mary.
Catholics love her, honor her and venerate her image in thanksgiving for her “yes” to God, for her role as the Theotokos (“God-bearer”) and as a powerful intercessor for all of God’s children.
It is important to note that Catholics do not worship Mary, but revere her pivotal role in salvation history.
Mary is known by dozens of titles around the world – dogmatic titles, devotional titles and titles adopted by religious orders.
There are also some titles that popes over the centuries have addressed in encyclicals and invocations, and titles expressing their filial affection for her during their papacies.
The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary, also known as the Litany of Loreto, invokes more than 50 titles of Our Lady.
This supplication sprang from prayers for protection during the Battle of Lepanto in 1571, when Mary’s help was enlisted through the recitation of the rosary to defeat the fleet of the Ottoman Empire in the Gulf of Patras. The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary, or Our Lady of Victory, is still celebrated every Oct. 7.
Early titles in Church history besides “Our Lady” (“Notre Dame” in French and “Nuestra Señora” in Spanish) include: “The New Eve,” a title first mentioned by St. Justin Martyr in the early half of the first century and later expanded upon by St. Iraneaus; “Mary Help of Christians,” first used by St. John Chrysostom in 345 and also reverently used by St. John Bosco in the 1800s; and “Stella Maris” (Our Lady Star of the Sea), an ancient title that emphasized her role as a sign of hope and a guiding star for Christians. It is attributed to St. Jerome, who lived in the mid-second and early third centuries.
Four dogmatic titles for the Blessed Mother were declared by the Church:
- “Mother of God” was decreed at the Council of Ephesus in 431, which acknowledged her as “Theotokos” because her son, Jesus Christ, is both God and man. This name was translated in the West as “Mater Dei” or Mother of God. From this derives the title “Blessed Mother.”
- “Virgin Mary” rises from the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary, taught by the early Church Fathers and declared a dogma by the Lateran Council of 649.
- “Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception” comes from the teaching that Mary was conceived without original sin, as defined in 1854 by Pope Pius IX’s apostolic constitution “Ineffabilis Deus.” This also gave rise to the title “Queen Conceived Without Original Sin.”
- “Our Lady of the Assumption” comes from the belief that Mary was assumed body and soul into heaven when her earthly life ended. The Assumption was declared a dogma in 1950 by Pope Pius XII in the apostolic constitution “Munificentissimus Deus.” The title “Queen Assumed Into Heaven” also derived from this.
Some of her titles are associated with Church-approved apparitions: Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531), Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal (1830), Our Lady of Lourdes (1858), Our Lady of Knock (1879) and Our Lady of Fatima (1917).
Religious orders under her patronage include: Carmelites, who look to Our Lady of Mt. Carmel; the Marians of the Immaculate Conception; Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist; and the Daughters of the Virgin Mother (Diocese of Charlotte).
Many devotional titles speak to the love of the faithful for Mary and confidence in her intercession: Queen of Peace, Our Lady of Mercy, Mother of Perpetual Help, Queen of the Apostles, Ark of the Covenant, Refuge of Sinners and Mary, Undoer of Knots.
Some lesser known but equally beautiful titles for Mary are: Tower of Ivory; Our Lady of Solitude; Our Lady, Gate of the Dawn; Mirror of Justice; and Spiritual Vessel.
St. Louis de Montfort said, “We never give more honor to Jesus than when we honor His mother, and we honor her simply and solely to honor Him all the more perfectly.”
So why not take some time during May, the month devoted to Mary, to cultivate a personal devotion to the Blessed Mother under a title that is meaningful to you in your faith journey?
—SueAnn Howell, Senior reporter; www.wikipedia.org contributed.
Churches under Mary’s patronage
The Benedictine monks of Belmont Abbey who came to North Carolina in 1876 built the Basilica of Mary Help of Christians in Belmont in 1892. In the Diocese of Charlotte there are now 23 more churches and missions that bear a name related to a title of Mary or her Immaculate Heart.