OUR LADY OF PROTECTION

Day 142: October 01

Our Lady of Protection

     


    Like a number of the other Marian feasts, this of Our Lady’s protection is first found in Spain, where it was granted in 1656 in thanksgiving for all the victories over the Moors.  It spread to many other parts of the world on various dates, but has since been dropped from a number of calendars.

    Among the Cistercians it has particular reference to St Alberic’s vision of our Lady in which she assured him she would always watch over and protect that order of monks.  The feast is especially observed with reference to the sanctuary of Chartres and Our Lady of Miracles at Lucca.

      The word “patronage” is sometimes added to the name of a patronal feast, e.g. Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Help at Santiago de Guatemala.


St Justin Russolillo Writes...

"Heaven possesses you now, but earth has not lost you. You carry in your heart the whole world and its inhabitants and you will be fully blessed only when you will see everyone in God's Glory and Grace forever. Grant that this blessed day which opens the gates of Paradise for us may fittingly come for us. Blessed are you, O Mary."

(Spirit of Prayer, trans. Louis Caputo, Vocationist Fathers, New Jersey, 1996, p. 160)

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