Today, July 18, the Church celebrates the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary, honoring the Blessed Mother’s royal dignity as Queen of Heaven and Earth. This feast reminds us that Mary’s queenship flows from her motherhood: she who bore the King of Kings shares in His royal office, crowned not with earthly power but with the glory of perfect obedience and love.
Where this feast comes from
Pope Pius XII established this feast in 1954 with his encyclical *Ad Caeli Reginam* (“To the Queen of Heaven”). He drew on centuries of Church teaching, art, and devotion that had long honored Mary as Queen. The feast was originally celebrated on May 31, but after the Second Vatican Council it was moved to August 22, eight days after the Assumption. In the revised Roman Calendar for certain regions, it appears on July 18 as well, placing Mary’s queenship in closer conversation with the mysteries of summer’s liturgical rhythm.
The biblical foundation rests in Revelation 12, where John sees “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” Church Fathers and Doctors, from Ephrem to Alphonsus Liguori, have identified this woman as Mary, crowned in Heaven. Her queenship is maternal, not monarchical in the worldly sense. She reigns by interceding, by drawing souls to her Son.
What her queenship means
Mary is Queen because she is the Mother of Christ the King. In ancient Israel, the *gebirah* (the king’s mother) held a position of honor and advocacy at court. Mary fulfills this role perfectly, seated at the right hand of her Son, interceding for all who ask. Her crown is the reward for her fiat, her yes to God’s will even when it led to the foot of the Cross.
In sacred art, Mary is shown crowned, robed in blue and gold, often holding a scepter, with angels attending her. These images are not metaphors. The Church teaches that Mary was assumed body and soul into Heaven and there crowned Queen by the Holy Trinity. She is Queen of angels, patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins. She is Queen of all saints and Queen of peace.
For today
Pray one decade of the Rosary and offer it to Mary as Queen. Before you begin, say: “Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope.” Let the familiar prayer remind you that she who reigns in Heaven still bends low to hear you. Ask her to intercede for one specific need today, trusting that a mother’s request carries weight with the King.
Carry her royal title through the day.
