
The Feast of the Queenship of Mary honors the Blessed Virgin Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth. This feast was formally established by Pope Pius XII in 1954 through his encyclical Ad Caeli Reginam (To the Queen of Heaven), though devotion to Mary’s queenship had existed for centuries prior.
Read the full Queenship of Mary novena on the novena page. You can also learn more about novenas here.
Why Is Mary Called Queen?
The Pope instituted this feast to emphasize Mary’s royal dignity and her role as intercessor and advocate for humanity before Christ the King.
The feast is celebrated annually on August 22, positioned strategically eight days after the Assumption of Mary (August 15). This timing is significant because it connects Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven with her coronation as Queen, reflecting the Catholic belief that Mary was crowned Queen of Heaven and Earth upon her arrival in paradise. The placement also allows the Church to celebrate both mysteries within the same liturgical octave, emphasizing their theological connection.
The theological foundation for Mary’s queenship rests on several key principles. First, as the Mother of Christ the King, Mary participates in her Son’s royal dignity. Second, her unique role in salvation history - as the one who gave her fiat to God’s plan and cooperated fully in the work of redemption - grants her a special place of honor. Third, her Immaculate Conception and sinless life demonstrate her worthiness for this exalted position. Mary’s queenship is not independent of Christ’s kingship but rather flows from and serves it.