Today we celebrate the birthday of Our Lady.
Mary's birth has been celebrated
by the Church since at least the sixth century. The Church of Jerusalem is said
to be the first to honor the memory of the Nativity; Rome began to celebrate her
birthday toward the end of the seventh century when Pope Sergius I endowed it with a special procession.
In Milan, Italy, devotion to Mary, known as Maria Bambina (since Vatican II called “Little Immaculate Mary”) can be traced back to
1007, the year in which the church of Santa Maria Fulcorina was dedicated to “the
mystery of the Nativity of Mary.” The church became the Cathedral of Milan, and
in 1251 Pope Innocent IV granted a plenary indulgence in perpetuity to those
who visit the Cathedral on the feast day of Mary’s nativity. (A new church was built and in 1572
dedicated to the Birth of Mary.) Over the main entrance, in bronze letters, are
the words: Mariae Nascenti, meaning
to the Infant Mary.
The Mary Garden behind St. Mary’s Church in
Annapolis, Maryland, was dedicated on Mary’s birthday in 1988. It is located in
the quadrangle formed by the church, the rectory and the historic John Carroll
house. More than 60 plants named after Mary are in the garden. They include
Virgin’s Bower (clematis), Ave Maria (hydrangea), Her Virginity (crepe myrtle),
Our Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla speciosa),
Mary’s Rose (peony and rose), Madonna Lily (Lilium
speciosum) and Mary’s Sword (German iris).
A recent video of the
Mary Garden, which shows the progress of the garden in recent years, can be
found at https://www.dropbox.com/s/whzqtm89dzyyg79/Second%20STM%20Show80.wmv
Mary, Our Mother, has always been special for me.
Mary is my confirmation name and over the years my devotion to her has grown. I
pray to her each night with my Rosary. I’m reminded of the “Hail Mary” pass in football
when I ask for her help during the day. She has never failed me; her help has
come in unexpected ways but it has come.
Mary is honored with several other feast days this
month. On September 12 we celebrate the Most Holy Name of Mary; on September 15
we remember the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and on September 24
we honor Our Lady of Ransom.
The story of Our Lady of Ransom is that of Saint
Peter Nolasco, born in Languedoc about 1189. He proposed to establish a
religious order for the rescue of captives seized by the Moors on the seas and in
Spain who were being tortured to make them deny their faith. Our Lady appeared
to Saint Peter, his confessor and to King James I on August 1, 1218, and
through these men established a plan for the redemption of the captives. Their
goal was to rescue the Christian captives, offering themselves, if necessary,
as payment. The order, established in
Spain, was approved by Pope Gregory IX under the name of Our Lady of Mercy. In
more recent times devotion to Our Lady of Ransom was revived to obtain the rescue
of England as Our Lady’s Dowry.
We can honor Mary on her feast day with asters (Aster amellus). The Italian aster is so
named because it blooms around the time of the feast of her Nativity.
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