Mary Our Queen

During May, the month traditionally dedicated to the Virgin Mary, we had two Coronations of the Blessed Mother at our parish, one after a 9am Sunday Mass, the other during a school morning. Crowns are usually worn by kings and queens, so by crowning a statue of the Blessed Mother we are proclaiming her Queen. Mary is often honored as queen with various titles such as Queen of the Angels, Queen of the Apostles, Queen of Heaven, and Queen of the Universe. How did this come about?

In the Old Testament, the kings of Israel had several wives and occasionally also had concubines. The queen was not a fortunate preferred wife, but the mother of the king. For example, Scripture tells us King Solomon had 700 wives, but the queen was his mother Bathsheba.

The angel Gabriel announced to Mary her son would be given the throne of his father David and he would rule over the house of Jacob forever. Mary knew that if Jesus her son was the King of Israel, she would be the Queen of Israel. The early Christians understood that by recognizing and proclaiming Jesus as their King, they also recognized and proclaimed Mary, his mother, as their Queen. Mary is the Queen of all of us who claim Jesus as our King. She is Queen in virtue of her role in the plan of salvation.