Pius XII's Prayer
to Our Queen
Out of the depths of
this valley of tears, through which suffering humanity painfully
struggles,
up from the billows of this sea, endlessly buffeted by the waves of
suffering,
we raise our eyes to thee, most beloved Mother Mary, to be
comforted
by the contemplation of thy glory and to hail thee as Queen of
Heaven
and earth, Queen and Mother of mankind.
With legitimate filial
pride, we wish to exalt thy queenship and to recognize it as due to the
sovereign excellence of thy entire being, O dearest one truly Mother of
Him Who is King by right, by inheritance and by conquest.
Reign, O Mother and
Queen, by showing us the path of holiness, and by guiding and assisting
us that we may never stray from it.
In the heights of Heaven,
thou doth exercise thy primacy over the choirs of Angels, who acclaim
thee
as their sovereign, and over the legions of Saints who delight in
beholding
thy radiant beauty.
So, too, reign over
the entire human race above all by opening the path of faith to those
who
do not yet know your Divine Son.
Reign over the Church
which acknowledges and extols thy gentle dominion and has recourse to
thee
as a safe refuge amid the calamities of our day.
Reign especially over
that part of the Church which is persecuted and oppressed; give it
strength
to bear adversity, constancy never to yield under unjust compulsion,
light
to avoid falling into the snares of the enemy, firmness to resist overt
attack, and at every moment unwavering faithfulness to thy kingdom.
Reign over the minds
of men, that they may seek only what is true; over their wills, that
they
may follow solely what is good; over their hearts, that they may love
nothing
but what thou thyself loveth.
Reign over individuals
and over families, as well as over societies and nations; over the
assemblies
of the powerful, the counsels of the wise, as over the simple
aspirations
of the humble.
Reign in the streets
and the squares, in the cities and the villages, in the valleys and the
mountains, in the air, on land and on the sea; and hear the pious
prayer
of all those who recognize that thine is a reign of mercy, in which
every
petition is heard, every sorrow comforted, every misfortune relieved,
every
infirmity healed, and in which, at a gesture from thy gentle hands,
from
death itself there arises smiling life.
Obtain for us that
all who now, in every corner of the world, acclaim and hail thee Queen
and Mistress, may one day in Heaven enjoy the fullness of thy kingdom
in
the vision of thy Divine Son, Who with the Father and the Holy Ghost,
liveth
and reigneth for ever and ever. Amen.
Prayer to Mary, Most
Holy Queen
To be recited by Christian women
Composed by Pope Pius XII
"Hail, full of grace,
blessed art thou among women" [Luke
1: 28, 42].
We implore thee, O Mary, to extend to us thy daughters, the hand of thy
maternal protection. We who draw near to thy Queenly throne as thy
handmaidens
are ready to do thy bidding and are resolved, with thy help, to realize
in ourselves and in our sisters the ideals of truth and Christian
perfection.
As we
gaze upon thee, O spotless maiden and favorite of the Heavenly Father,
our minds are lost in admiration! O Virgin, Spouse of the Holy Spirit!
O tender Mother of Jesus! Obtain for us from thy Divine Son the grace
so
to imitate thy noble virtues that they may be reflected in every age
and
circumstance of our life.
May we be pure and upright in our thought and conduct; pleasant, loving
and understanding companions to our husbands; careful, watchful and
prudent
mothers to our children; wise administrators of household affairs;
exemplary
citizens of our beloved country; faithful children of the Church, ever
docile to her guidance in our thoughts and actions.
Help us, O dearly beloved Mother, to have a sincere regard for the
duties
of our state in life that our homes may become centers of spiritual
life
and active charity, schools in which consciences are rightly formed,
and
gardens wherein virtues may thrive. Come to our aid in our social and
public
life, also, that we may be examples of profound faith and ever-edifying
Christian conduct, of incorrupt integrity and sound equilibrium based
on
the most solid religious principles.
Bless
us in our intentions and in our works, that, as we undertake them
through
thy inspiration, so by thy help it may be granted to us to see their
abundant
fruits in time and eternity. Amen.
May 22, 1957
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