MARY, GUARDIAN OF BAVARIA (MARIA PATRONA BAVARIAE) - 1 MAY

 

ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN MAY

Saints celebrated on the 1st of May

Marian Feast Days

WELCOME!

O glorious Virgin, Mother of God, blessed among all nations, worthy of praise and the greatest of praise, intercede for me with thy beloved Son. O honoured Lady, Mother of the King of Angels and Archangels, assist and deliver me from every difficulty and danger.

O Blossom of the Patriarchs, the Virgins and the Angels, Hope of Glory, Beauty of Virgins, Admiration of the Angels and Archangels, remember me, and forsake me not, I beseech thee, at the terrible hour of my death. O Star of the Sea, Gate of Heaven, Temple of God, Palace of Jesus Christ, Harbour of Safety, Power of all Nations, Pearl of all Sweetness, Hope of the Faithful; O Queen who shelters the guilty, who surpasses in radiance the Virgins and the Angels, thy presence gives joy to all the hosts of Heaven.

Therefore, O Mother of Mercy, I place in the protection of thy holy hands my going out, my coming in, my sleeping, my waking, the sight of my eyes, the touch of my hands, the speech from my lips, the hearing of my ears, so that in everything I may be pleasing to thine own beloved Son. Amen.

MARY, GUARDIAN OF BAVARIA (MARIA PATRONA BAVARIAE)

Our Blessed Mother Mary is venerated as the patron saint of Bavaria under the title Patrona Bavariae (Latin for: Patroness of Bavaria).

Fervent devotion to Mary has been a feature of Bavarian life from time immemorial, but the formal recognition of Mary as the patroness of Bavaria by Pope Benedict XV was pronounced only during the First World War (in 1916).

Devotion to the "Patrona Bavariae" around the prominent focus of prayer, the Marian column* in Munich, called "Mariensäule," is vibrant in our day, too. Every Saturday at 7:00 p.m. the rosary is prayed at the Mariensäule and numerous processions take place regularly.

Mary is also revered as a Bavarian patroness in Catholic areas outside of Munich. There are countless churches and chapels dedicated to her. 

*During the Thirty Years' War, Elector Maximilian I took a vow to have a "work pleasing to God" built if Munich and Landshut were spared devastation. After both cities were indeed left untouched by the invading Protestant forces thanks to Mary's intercession, Maximilian had the Marian column made. This column, made of Adnet marble and erected on Munich's Marienplatz in 1638, was inaugurated on November 7, 1638, the first Sunday after All Saints' Day, by Bishop Veit Adam von Gepeckh of Freising.

It is not known who designed the column; but it must have been an important artist of the time - maybe Hubert Gerhard. This impressive pillar is crowned by a gilded bronze statue of the Mother of God standing on a crescent moon, holding a sceptre in her right hand and the blessing Christ Child on her left arm. Her crowned head is wreathed with stars. An eternal light burns below the statue. The Latin inscription reads: "Sub tuum praesidium confugimus, sub quo secure laetique degimus" ("Under your protection we flee, in which we live happily and safely"). This depiction of Mary is very old and goes back to a passage in the Apocalypse.

Information from: https://de.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patrona_Bavariae

PRAYER:

When storms rage all around, menacingly engulfing your land, raise your hand, O Mother, in blessing! You, Patron of Bavaria, be our salvation, and show the compassion of Jesus to us! We want to be yours forever, therefore mercifully enclose us in your Mother's heart. Amen.