By Mary Powers
From the time of the Church Fathers, the queenship of Mary has been celebrated in connection with her motherhood. St. Alphonsus Liguori once wrote, “Because the virgin Mary was raised to such a lofty dignity as to be the mother of the King of Kings, it is deservedly and by every right that the Church has honored her with the title of ‘queen’” (“The Glories of Mary”).
In May, as we honor Our Lady, we too celebrate her queenship and motherhood. Each year, parishes and schools hold May crownings close to Mother’s Day, placing a crown of flowers on a statue of the Blessed Mother.
The stained-glass windows above the entrance of St. Timothy Catholic Church in San Mateo illustrate this important truth about the queenship of Mary.
The windows, designed and made by San Francisco artist Carl Huneke, depict three scenes of the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
The Annunciation, when Mary said yes to being the mother of God; the crucifixion, when Mary entered more deeply into the sufferings of her Son and became our mother as well; and, the crowning of Mary as queen of heaven and earth.
In each scene her fiat can be seen: “Let it be done according to your word,” submitting to God’s will in all things.
Above the three scenes are symbols of the royalty and purity of Mary: a crown with a lily, fleur de lis and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
At the bottom of the windows are the words, “Hail, Holy Queen” corresponding to each scene.
“Hail” is the greeting of the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation: “Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.” (Lk 1:28).
“Holy” is exemplified in Our Lady standing under the cross: “There she stood, in keeping with the divine plan, enduring with her only begotten Son the intensity of his suffering, joining herself with his sacrifice in her mother’s heart.” (Pope St. Paul VI, closing speech of the end of the Second Vatican Council, Nov. 21, 1964)
Then lastly, “Queen” corresponds with the crowning of Our Lady as queen of heaven and earth, with Jesus, her Son, placing the crown on the head of His mother; affirming the connection between her motherhood and queenship.
May we always give thanks for God’s gift of our queen and mother.
Mary Powers is the assistant director of communications for the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
Photo by Terry Blaine
