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Ad
Caeli Reginam (Pius XII) On Proclaiming the Queenship
of Mary
Encyclical of Pope Pius XII
promulgated on October 11, 1954.
To the Venerable Brethren, the Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, Bishops and
other Local Ordinaries in Peace and Communion with the Holy See.
Venerable Brethren, Health and Apostolic Blessing.
From the earliest ages of the Catholic Church a Christian people, whether in
time of triumph or more especially in time of crisis, has addressed prayers of
petition and hymns of praise and veneration to the Queen of Heaven. And never
has that hope wavered which they placed in the Mother of the Divine King, Jesus
Christ; nor has that faith ever failed by which we are taught that Mary, the
Virgin Mother of God, reigns with a mother's solicitude over the entire world,
just as she is crowned in heavenly blessedness with the glory of a Queen.
2. Following upon the frightful calamities which before Our very eyes have
reduced flourishing cities, towns, and villages to ruins, We see to Our sorrow
that many great moral evils are being spread abroad in what may be described as
a violent flood. Occasionally We behold justice giving way; and, on the one hand
and the other, the victory of the powers of corruption. The threat of this
fearful crisis fills Us with a great anguish, and so with confidence We have
recourse to Mary Our Queen, making known to her those sentiments of filial
reverence which are not Ours alone, but which belong to all those who glory in
the name of Christian.
3. It is gratifying to recall that We ourselves, on the first day of November of
the Holy Year 1950, before a huge multitude of Cardinals, Bishops, priests, and
of the faithful who had assembled from every part of the world, defined the
dogma of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into heaven[1] where she is
present in soul and body reigning, together with her only Son, amid the heavenly
choirs of angels and Saints. Moreover, since almost a century has passed since
Our predecessor of immortal memory, Pius IX, proclaimed and defined the dogma
that the great Mother of God had been conceived without any stain of original
sin, We instituted the current Marian Year[2] And now it is a great consolation
to Us to see great multitudes here in Rome--and especially in the Liberian
Basilica--giving testimony in a striking way to their faith and ardent love for
their heavenly Mother. In all parts of the world We learn that devotion to the
Virgin Mother of God is flourishing more and more, and that the principal
shrines of Mary have been visited and are still being visited by many throngs of
Catholic pilgrims gathered in prayer.
4. It is well known that we have taken advantage of every opportunity--through
personal audiences and radio broadcasts--to exhort Our children in Christ to a
strong and tender love, as becomes children, for Our most gracious and exalted
Mother. On this point it is particularly fitting to call to mind the radio
message which We addressed to the people of Portugal, when the miraculous image
of the Virgin Mary which is venerated at Fatima was being crowned with a golden
diadem.[3] We Ourselves called this the heralding of the "sovereignty" of
Mary.[4]
5. And now, that We may bring the Year of Mary to a happy and beneficial
conclusion, and in response to petitions which have come to Us from all over the
world, We have decided to institute the liturgical feast of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, Queen. This will afford a climax, as it were, to the manifold
demonstrations of Our devotion to Mary, which the Christian people have
supported with such enthusiasm.
6. In this matter We do not wish to propose a new truth to be believed by
Christians, since the title and the arguments on which Mary's queenly dignity is
based have already been clearly set forth, and are to be found in ancient
documents of the Church and in the books of the sacred liturgy.
7. It is Our pleasure to recall these things in the present encyclical letter,
that We may renew the praises of Our heavenly Mother, and enkindle a more
fervent devotion towards her, to the spiritual benefit of all mankind.
8. From early times Christians have believed, and not without reason, that she
of whom was born the Son of the Most High received privileges of grace above all
other beings created by God. He "will reign in the house of Jacob forever,"[5]
"the Prince of Peace,"[6] the "King of Kings and Lord of Lords."[7] And when
Christians reflected upon the intimate connection that obtains between a mother
and a son, they readily acknowledged the supreme royal dignity of the Mother of
God.
9. Hence it is not surprising that the early writers of the Church called Mary
"the Mother of the King" and "the Mother of the Lord," basing their stand on the
words of St. Gabriel the archangel, who foretold that the Son of Mary would
reign forever,[8] and on the words of Elizabeth who greeted her with reverence
and called her "the Mother of my Lord."[9] Thereby they clearly signified that
she derived a certain eminence and exalted station from the royal dignity of her
Son.
10. So it is that St. Ephrem, burning with poetic inspiration, represents her as
speaking in this way: "Let Heaven sustain me in its embrace, because I am
honored above it. For heaven was not Thy mother, but Thou hast made it Thy
throne. How much more honorable and venerable than the throne of a king is her
mother."[10] And in another place he thus prays to her: ". . . Majestic and
Heavenly Maid, Lady, Queen, protect and keep me under your wing lest Satan the
sower of destruction glory over me, lest my wicked foe be victorious against
me."[11]
11. St. Gregory Nazianzen calls Mary "the Mother of the King of the universe,"
and the "Virgin Mother who brought forth the King of the whole world,"[12] while
Prudentius asserts that the Mother marvels "that she has brought forth God as
man, and even as Supreme King."[13]
12. And this royal dignity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is quite clearly indicated
through direct assertion by those who call her "Lady," "Ruler" and "Queen."
13. In one of the homilies attributed to Origen, Elizabeth calls Mary "the
Mother of my Lord." and even addresses her as "Thou, my Lady."[14]
14. The same thing is found in the writings of St. Jerome where he makes the
following statement amidst various interpretations of Mary's name: "We should
realize that Mary means Lady in the Syrian Language."[15] After him St.
Chrysologus says the same thing more explicitly in these words: "The Hebrew word
'Mary' means 'Domina.' The Angel therefore addresses her as 'Lady' to preclude
all servile fear in the Lord's Mother, who was born and was called 'Lady' by the
authority and command of her own Son."[16]
15. Moreover Epiphanius, the bishop of Constantinople, writing to the Sovereign
Pontiff Hormisdas, says that we should pray that the unity of the Church may be
preserved "by the grace of the holy and consubstantial Trinity and by the
prayers of Mary, Our Lady, the holy and glorious Virgin and Mother of God."[17]
16. The Blessed Virgin, sitting at the right hand of God to pray for us is
hailed by another writer of that same era in these words, "the Queen of mortal
man, the most holy Mother of God."[18]
17. St. Andrew of Crete frequently attributes the dignity of a Queen to the
Virgin Mary. For example, he writes, "Today He transports from her earthly
dwelling, as
Queen of the human race, His ever-Virgin Mother, from whose womb He, the living
God, took on human form."[19]
18. And in another place he speaks of "the Queen of the entire human race
faithful to the exact meaning of her name, who is exalted above all things save
only God himself."[20]
19. Likewise St. Germanus speaks to the humble Virgin in these words: "Be
enthroned, Lady, for it is fitting that you should sit in an exalted place since
you are a Queen and glorious above all kings."[21] He likewise calls her the
"Queen of all of those who dwell on earth."[22]
20. She is called by St. John Damascene: "Queen, ruler, and lady,"[23] and also
"the Queen of every creature."[24] Another ancient writer of the Eastern Church
calls her "favored Queen," "the perpetual Queen beside the King, her son," whose
"snow-white brow is crowned with a golden diadem."[25]
21. And finally St. Ildephonsus of Toledo gathers together almost all of her
titles of honor in this salutation: "O my Lady, my Sovereign, You who rule over
me, Mother of my Lord . . . Lady among handmaids, Queen among sisters."[26]
22. The theologians of the Church, deriving their teaching from these and almost
innumerable other testimonies handed down long ago, have called the most Blessed
Virgin the Queen of all creatures, the Queen of the world, and the Ruler of all.
23. The Supreme Shepherds of the Church have considered it their duty to promote
by eulogy and exhortation the devotion of the Christian people to the heavenly
Mother and Queen. Simply passing over the documents of more recent Pontiffs, it
is helpful to recall that as early as the seventh century Our predecessor St.
Martin I called Mary "our glorious Lady, ever Virgin."[27] St. Agatho, in the
synodal letter sent to the fathers of the Sixth Ecumenical Council called her
"Our Lady, truly and in a proper sense the Mother of God."[28] And in the eighth
century Gregory II in the letter sent to St. Germanus, the patriarch, and read
in the Seventh Ecumenical Council with all the Fathers concurring, called the
Mother of God: "The Queen of all, the true Mother of God," and also "the Queen
of all Christians."[29]
24. We wish also to recall that Our predecessor of immortal memory, Sixtus IV,
touched favorably upon the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed
Virgin, beginning the Apostolic Letter Cum praeexcelsa[30] with words in which
Mary is called "Queen," "Who is always vigilant to intercede with the king whom
she bore." Benedict XIV declared the same thing in his Apostolic Letter
Gloriosae Dominae, in which Mary is called "Queen of heaven and earth," and it
is stated that the sovereign King has in some way communicated to her his ruling
power.[31]
25. For all these reasons St. Alphonsus Ligouri, in collecting the testimony of
past ages, writes these words with evident devotion: "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'."[32]
26. Furthermore, the sacred liturgy, which acts as a faithful reflection of
traditional
doctrine believed by the Christian people through the course of all the ages
both in the East and in the West, has sung the praises of the heavenly Queen and
continues to sing them.
27. Ardent voices from the East sing out: "O Mother of God, today thou art
carried into heaven on the chariots of the cherubim, the seraphim wait upon thee
and the ranks of the heavenly army bow before thee."[33]
28. Further: "O just, O most blessed Joseph), since thou art sprung from a royal
line, thou hast been chosen from among all mankind to be spouse of the pure
Queen who, in a way which defies description, will give birth to Jesus the
king."[34] In addition: "I shall sing a hymn to the mother, the Queen, whom I
joyously approach in praise, gladly celebrating her wonders in song. . . Our
tongue cannot worthily praise thee, O Lady; for thou who hast borne Christ the
king art exalted above the seraphim. . . Hail, O Queen of the world; hail, O
Mary, Queen of us all."[35]
29. We read, moreover, in the Ethiopic Missal: "O Mary, center of the whole
world, . . . thou art greater than the many-eyed cherubim and the six-winged
seraphim . . . Heaven and earth are filled with the sanctity of thy glory."[36]
30. Furthermore, the Latin Church sings that sweet and ancient prayer called the
"Hail, Holy Queen" and the lovely antiphons "Hail, Queen of the Heavens," "O
Queen of Heaven, Rejoice," and those others which we are accustomed to recite on
feasts of the Blessed Virgin Mary: "The Queen stood at Thy right hand in golden
vesture surrounded with beauty"[37]; "Heaven and earth praise thee as a powerful
Queen"[38]; "Today the Virgin Mary ascends into heaven: rejoice because she
reigns with Christ forever."[39]
31. To these and others should be added the Litany of Loreto which daily invites
Christian folk to call upon Mary as Queen. Likewise, for many centuries past
Christians have been accustomed to meditate upon the ruling power of Mary which
embraces heaven and earth, when they consider the fifth glorious mystery of the
rosary which can be called the mystical crown of the heavenly Queen.
32. Finally, art which is based upon Christian principles and is animated by
their spirit as something faithfully interpreting the sincere and freely
expressed devotion of the faithful, has since the Council of Ephesus portrayed
Mary as Queen and Empress seated upon a royal throne adorned with royal
insignia, crowned with the royal diadem and surrounded by the host of angels and
saints in heaven, and ruling not only over nature and its powers but also over
the machinations of Satan. Iconography, in representing the royal dignity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, has ever been enriched with works of highest artistic value
and greatest beauty; it has even taken the form of representing colorfully the
divine Redeemer crowning His mother with a resplendent diadem.
33. The Roman Pontiffs, favoring such types of popular devotion, have often
crowned, either in their own persons, or through representatives, images of the
Virgin Mother of God which were already outstanding by reason of public
veneration.
34. As We have already mentioned, Venerable Brothers, according to ancient
tradition and the sacred liturgy the main principle on which the royal dignity
of Mary rests is without doubt her Divine Motherhood. In Holy Writ, concerning
the Son whom Mary will conceive, We read this sentence: "He shall be called the
Son of the most High, and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David
his father, and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom
there will be no end,"[40] and in addition Mary is called "Mother of the
Lord";[41] from this it is easily concluded that she is a Queen, since she bore
a son who, at the very moment of His conception, because of the hypostatic union
of the human nature with the Word, was also as man King and Lord of all things.
So with complete justice St. John Damascene could write: "When she became Mother
of the Creator, she truly became Queen of every creature."[42] Likewise, it can
be said that the heavenly voice of the Archangel Gabriel was the first to
proclaim Mary's royal office.
35. But the Blessed Virgin Mary should be called Queen, not only because of her
Divine Motherhood, but also because God has willed her to have an exceptional
role in the work of our eternal salvation. "What more joyful, what sweeter
thought can we have"--as Our Predecessor of happy memory, Pius XI wrote --"than
that Christ is our King not only by natural right, but also by an acquired
right: that which He won by the redemption? Would that all men, now forgetful of
how much we cost Our Savior, might recall to mind the words, 'You were redeemed,
not with gold or silver which perishes, . . . but with the precious blood of
Christ, as of a Lamb spotless and undefiled.[43] We belong not to ourselves now,
since Christ has bought us 'at a great price'."[44]/[45]
36. Now, in the accomplishing of this work of redemption, the Blessed Virgin
Mary was most closely associated with Christ; and so it is fitting to sing in
the sacred liturgy: "Near the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ there stood,
sorrowful, the Blessed Mary, Queen of Heaven and Queen of the World."[46] Hence,
as the devout disciple of St. Anselm (Eadmer, ed.) wrote in the Middle Ages:
"just as . . . God, by making all through His power, is Father and Lord of all,
so the blessed Mary, by repairing all through her merits, is Mother and Queen of
all; for God is the Lord of all things, because by His command He establishes
each of them in its own nature, and Mary is the Queen of all things, because she
restores each to its original dignity through the grace which she merited.[47]
37. For "just as Christ, because He redeemed us, is our Lord and king by a
special title, so the Blessed Virgin also (is our queen), on account of the
unique manner in which she assisted in our redemption, by giving of her own
substance, by freely offering Him for us, by her singular desire and petition
for, and active interest in, our salvation."[48]
38. From these considerations, the proof develops on these lines: if Mary, in
taking an active part in the work of salvation, was, by God's design, associated
with Jesus Christ, the source of salvation itself, in a manner comparable to
that in which Eve was associated with Adam, the source of death, so that it may
be stated that the work of our salvation was accomplished by a kind of
"recapitulation,"[49] in which a virgin was instrumental in the salvation of the
human race, just as a virgin had been closely associated with its death; if,
moreover, it can likewise be stated that this glorious Lady had been chosen
Mother of Christ "in order that she might become a partner in the redemption of
the human race";[50] and if, in truth, "it was she who, free of the stain of
actual and original sin, and ever most closely bound to her Son, on Golgotha
offered that Son to the Eternal Father together with the complete sacrifice of
her maternal rights and maternal love, like a new Eve, for all the sons of Adam,
stained as they were by his lamentable fall,"[51] then it may be legitimately
concluded that as Christ, the new Adam, must be called a King not merely because
He is Son of God, but also because He is our Redeemer, so, analogously, the Most
Blessed Virgin is queen not only because she is Mother of God, but also because,
as the new Eve, she was associated with the new Adam.
39. Certainly, in the full and strict meaning of the term, only Jesus Christ,
the God-Man, is King; but Mary, too, as Mother of the divine Christ, as His
associate in the redemption, in his struggle with His enemies and His final
victory over them, has a share, though in a limited and analogous way, in His
royal dignity. For from her union with Christ she attains a radiant eminence
transcending that of any other creature; from her union with Christ she receives
the royal right to dispose of the treasures of the Divine Redeemer's Kingdom;
from her union with Christ finally is derived the inexhaustible efficacy of her
maternal intercession before the Son and His Father.
40. Hence it cannot be doubted that Mary most Holy is far above all other
creatures in dignity, and after her Son possesses primacy over all. "You have
surpassed every creature," sings St. Sophronius. "What can be more sublime than
your joy, O Virgin Mother? What more noble than this grace, which you alone have
received from God"?[52] To this St. Germanus adds: "Your honor and dignity
surpass the whole of creation; your greatness places you above the angels."[53]
And St. John Damascene goes so far as to say: "Limitless is the difference
between God's servants and His Mother."[54]
41. In order to understand better
this sublime dignity of the Mother of God over all creatures let us recall that
the holy Mother of God was, at the very moment of her Immaculate Conception, so
filled with grace as to surpass the grace of all the Saints. Wherefore, as Our
Predecessor of happy memory, Pius IX wrote, God "showered her with heavenly
gifts and graces from the treasury of His divinity so far beyond what He gave to
all the angels and saints that she was ever free from the least stain of sin;
she is so beautiful and perfect, and possesses such fullness of innocence and
holiness, that under God a greater could not be dreamed, and only God can
comprehend the marvel."[55]
42. Besides, the Blessed Virgin possessed, after Christ, not only the highest
degree of excellence and perfection, but also a share in that influence by which
He, her Son and our Redeemer, is rightly said to reign over the minds and wills
of men. For if through His Humanity the divine Word performs miracles and gives
graces, if He uses His Sacraments and Saints as instruments for the salvation of
men, why should He not make use of the role and work of His most holy Mother in
imparting to us the fruits of redemption? "With a heart that is truly a
mother's," to quote again Our Predecessor of immortal memory, Pius IX, "does she
approach the problem of our salvation, and is solicitous for the whole human
race; made Queen of heaven and earth by the Lord, exalted above all choirs of
angels and saints, and standing at the right hand of her only a Son, Jesus
Christ our Lord, she intercedes powerfully for us with a mother's prayers,
obtains what she seeks, and cannot be refused."[56] On this point another of Our
Predecessors of happy memory, Leo XIII, has said that an "almost immeasurable"
power has been given Mary in the distribution of graces;[57] St. Pius X adds
that she fills this office "as by the right of a mother."[58]
43. Let all Christians, therefore, glory in being subjects of the Virgin Mother
of God, who, while wielding royal power, is on fire with a mother's love.
44. Theologians and preachers, however, when treating these and like questions
concerning the Blessed Virgin, must avoid straying from the correct course, with
a
twofold error to guard against: that is to say, they must beware of unfounded
opinions and exaggerated expressions which go beyond the truth, on the other
hand, they must watch out for excessive narrowness of mind in weighing that
exceptional, sublime, indeed all but divine dignity of the Mother of God, which
the Angelic Doctor teaches must be attributed to her "because of the infinite
goodness that is God."[59]
45. For the rest, in this as in other points of Christian doctrine, "the
proximate and
universal norm of truth" is for all the living Magisterium of the Church, which
Christ established "also to illustrate and explain those matters which are
contained only in an obscure way, and implicitly in the deposit of faith."[60]
46. From the ancient Christian documents, from prayers of the liturgy, from the
innate piety of the Christian people, from works of art, from every side We have
gathered witnesses to the regal dignity of the Virgin Mother of God; We have
likewise shown that the arguments deduced by Sacred Theology from the treasure
store of the faith fully confirm this truth. Such a wealth of witnesses makes up
a resounding chorus which changes the sublimity of the royal dignity of the
Mother of God and of men, to whom every creature is subject, who is "exalted to
the heavenly throne, above the choirs of angels."[61]
47. Since we are convinced, after long and serious reflection, that great good
will accrue to the Church if this solidly established truth shines forth more
clearly to all, like a luminous lamp raised aloft, by Our Apostolic authority We
decree and establish the feast of Mary's Queenship, which is to be celebrated
every year in the whole world on the 31st of May. We likewise ordain that on the
same day the consecration of the human race to the Immaculate Heart of the
Blessed Virgin Mary be renewed, cherishing the hope that through such
consecration a new era may begin, joyous in Christian peace and in the triumph
of religion.
48. Let all, therefore, try to approach with greater trust the throne of grace
and mercy of our Queen and Mother, and beg for strength in adversity, light in
darkness, consolation in sorrow; above all let them strive to free themselves
from the slavery of sin and offer an unceasing homage, filled with filial
loyalty, to their Queenly Mother. Let her churches be thronged by the faithful,
her feast-days honored; may the beads of the Rosary be in the hands of all; may
Christians gather, in small numbers and large, to sing her praises in churches,
in homes, in hospitals, in prisons. May Mary's name be held in highest
reverence, a name sweeter than honey and more precious than jewels; may none
utter blasphemous words, the sign of a defiled soul, against that name graced
with such dignity and revered for its motherly goodness; let no one be so bold
as to speak a syllable which lacks the respect due to her name.
49. All, according to their state, should strive to bring alive the wondrous
virtues of our heavenly Queen and most loving Mother through constant effort of
mind and manner. Thus will it come about that all Christians, in honoring and
imitating their sublime Queen and Mother, will realize they are truly brothers,
and with all envy and avarice thrust aside, will promote love among classes,
respect the rights of the weak, cherish peace. No one should think himself a son
of Mary, worthy of being received under her powerful protection, unless, like
her, he is just, gentle and pure, and shows a sincere desire for true
brotherhood, not harming or injuring but rather helping and comforting others.
50. In some countries of the world there are people who are unjustly persecuted
for professing their Christian faith and who are deprived of their divine and
human rights to freedom; up till now reasonable demands and repeated protests
have availed nothing to remove these evils. May the powerful Queen of creation,
whose radiant glance banishes storms and tempests and brings back cloudless
skies, look upon these her innocent and tormented children with eyes of mercy;
may the Virgin, who is able to subdue violence beneath her foot, grant to them
that they may soon enjoy the rightful freedom to practice their religion openly,
so that, while serving the cause of the Gospel, they may also contribute to the
strength and progress of nations by their harmonious cooperation, by the
practice of extraordinary virtues which are a glowing example in the midst of
bitter trials.
51. By this Encyclical Letter We are instituting a feast so that all may
recognize more clearly and venerate more devoutly the merciful and maternal sway
of the Mother of God. We are convinced that this feast will help to preserve,
strengthen and prolong that peace among nations which daily is almost destroyed
by recurring crises. Is she not a rainbow in the clouds reaching towards God,
the pledge of a covenant of peace?[62] "Look upon the rainbow, and bless Him
that made it; surely it is beautiful in its brightness. It encompasses the
heaven about with the circle of its glory, the hands of the Most High have
displayed it."[63] Whoever, therefore, reverences the Queen of heaven and
earth--and let no one consider himself exempt from this tribute of a grateful
and loving soul--let him invoke the most effective of Queens, the Mediatrix of
peace; let him respect and preserve peace, which is not wickedness unpunished
nor freedom without restraint, but a well-ordered harmony under the rule of the
will of God; to its safeguarding and growth the gentle urgings and commands of
the Virgin Mary impel us.
52. Earnestly desiring that the Queen and Mother of Christendom may hear these
Our prayers, and by her peace make happy a world shaken by hate, and may, after
this exile show unto us all Jesus, Who will be our eternal peace and joy, to
you, Venerable Brothers, and to your flocks, as a promise of God's divine help
and a pledge of Our love, from Our heart We impart the Apostolic Benediction.
53. Given at Rome, from St. Peter's, on the feast of the Maternity of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, the eleventh day of October, 1954, in the sixteenth year of
our Pontificate.
REFERENCES:
1. Cf. constitutio apostolica Munificentissirnus Deus: AAS XXXXII 1950, p. 753
sq.
2. Cf. Iitt. enc. Fulgens corona: AAS XXXXV, 1953, p. 577 sq.
3. Cf. AAS XXXVIII, 1946, p. 264 sq.
4. Cf. L'Osservatore Romano, d. 19 Maii, a. 1946.
5. Luc. 1, 32.
6. Isai. IX, 6.
7. Apoc. XIX, 16.
8. Cf. Luc. 1, 32, 33.
9. Luc. 1, 43.
10. S. Ephraem, Hymni de B Mana, ed. Th. J. Lamy, t. II, Mechliniae, 1886, hymn.
XIX, p. 624.
11. Idem, Oratio ad Ssmam Dei Matrem; Opera omnia, Ed. Assemani, t. III (graece),
Romae, 1747, pag. 546.
12. S. Gregorius Naz., Poemata dogmatica, XVIII, v. 58; PG XXXVII, 485.
13. Prudentius, Dittochaeum, XXVII: PL LX, 102 A.
14. Hom. in S. Lucam, hom. Vll; ed. Rauer, Origenes' Werke, T. IX, p. 48 (ex
catena Marcarii Chrysocephali). Cf. PG XIII, 1902 D.
15. S. Hieronymus, Liber de nominibus hebraeis: PL XXIII, 886.
16. S. Petrus Chrysologus, Sermo 142, De Annuntiatione B.M.V.: PL Lll, 579 C;
cf. etiam 582 B; 584 A: "Regina totius exstitit castitatis."
17. Relatio Epiphanii Ep. Constantin.: PL LXII, 498 D.
18. Encomium in Dormitionem Ssmae Deiparae (inter opera S. Modesti): PG LXXXVI,
3306 B.
19. S. Andreas Cretensis, Homilia II in Dormitionem Ssmae Deiparae: PG XCVII,
1079 B.
20. Id., Homilia III in Dormitionem Ssmae Deiparae: PG XCVII, 1099 A.
21. S. Germanus, In Praesentationem Ssmae Deiparae, 1: PG XCVIII, 303 A.
22. Id., In Praesentationem Ssmae Deiparae, n PG XCVIII, 315 C.
23. S. Ioannes Damascenus, Homilia I in Dormitionem B.M.V.: P.G. XCVI, 719 A.
24. Id., De fide orthodoxa, I, IV, c. 14: PG XLIV, 1158 B.
25. De laudibus Mariae (inter opera Venantii Fortunati): PL LXXXVIII, 282 B et
283 A.
26. Ildefonsus Toletanus, De virginitate perpetua B.M.V.: PL XCVI, 58 A D.
27. S. Martinus 1, Epist. XIV: PL LXXXVII, 199-200 A.
28. S. Agatho: PL LXXXVII, 1221 A.
29. Hardouin, Acta Conciliorum, IV, 234; 238: PL LXXXIX, 508 B.
30. Xystus IV, bulla Cum praeexcelsa. d. d. 28 Febr. a. 1476.
31. Benedictus XIV, bulla Gloriosae Dominae, d. d. 27 Sept. a. 1748.
32. S. Alfonso, Le glone de Maria, p. I, c. I,  1.
33. Ex liturgia Armenorum: in festo Assumptionis, hymnus ad Matutinum.
34. Ex Menaeo (byzantino): Dominica post Natalem, in Canone, ad Matutinum.
35. Officium hymni Axathistos (in ritu byzantino).
36. Missale Aethiopicum, Anaphora Dominae nostrae Mariae, Matris Dei.
37. Brev. Rom., Versiculus sexti Respons.
38. Festum Assumptionis; hymnus Laudum.
39. Ibidem, ad Magnificat 11 Vesp.
40. Luc. 1, 32, 33.
41. Ibid. 1, 43.
42. S. Ioannes Damascenus, De fide orthodoxa, 1. IV, c. 14; PL XCIV, 1158 s. B.
43. I Petr. 1, 18, 19.
44. I Cor. Vl, 20.
45. Pius Xl, litt. enc. Quas primas: AAS XVII, 1925, p. 599.
46. Festum septem dolorum B. Mariae Virg., Tractus.
47. Eadmerus, De excellentia Virginis Mariae, c. 11: PL CLIX, 508 A B.
48. F. Suarez, De mysteriis vitae Christi, disp. XXII, sect. 11 (ed Vives, XIX,
327).
49. S. Irenaeus, Adv. haer., V, 19, 1: PG VII, 1175 B.
50. Pius Xl, epist. Auspicatus profecto: AAS XXV, 1933, p. 80.
51. Pius XII, litt. enc. Mystici Corporis: AAS XXXV, 1943, p. 247.
52. S. Sophronius, In annuntianone Beatae Mariae Virginis: PG LXXXVII, 3238 D;
3242 A.
53. S. Germanus, Hom. II in
dormitione Beatae Mariae Virginis: PG XCVIII, 354 B.
54. S. Ioannes Damascenus, Hom. I in Dormitionem Beatae Mariae Virginis: PG XCVI,
715 A.
55. Pius IX, bulla Ineffabilis Deus: Acta Pii IX, I, p. 597-598.
56. Ibid. p. 618.
57. Leo Xlll, litt. enc. Adiumcem populi: ASS, XXVIIl, 1895-1896,p.130.
58. Pius X, litt enc. Ad diem illum: ASS XXXVI, 1903-1904, p.455.
59. S. Thomas, Summa Theol., I, q. 25, a. 6, ad 4.
60. Pius Xll, litt. enc. Humani generis: AAS XLII, 1950, p. 569.
61. Ex Brev. Rom.: Festum Assumptionis Beatae Mariae Virginis.
62. Cf. Gen. IX, 13.
63. Eccl. XLIII, 12-13.