Honoring Mary, Francis Style

This is pretty funny. An astute Pray Tell reader noticed something amiss in the EWTN broadcast of the veneration of Our Lady at the Spanish steps by Pope Francis. The announcer, talking over the litany which was being sung in Italian, listed the following invocations as her favorites:

Virgin most prudent,
Virgin most venerable,
Virgin most renowned,
Virgin most powerful,
Virgin most merciful,
Virgin most faithful…

Problem is, none of these titles was part of the litany they sang in Rome today. Someone revised it. (This surely has to do with the new team Francis put in place for papal liturgical planning.)

Here is the booklet for the service, and here is a quick Pray Tell translation of the litany used today:

Holy Mother of God,
Holy virgin of virgins,
Daughter chosen by the Father,
Mother of Christ, king of the ages,
Glory of the Holy Spirit,
Virgin daughter of Zion,
Virgin poor and humble,
Virgin meek and mild,
Virgin obedient in faith,
Mother of the Lord,
Coworker of the Redeemer,
Full of grace,
Font of beauty,
Treasure of power and wisdom,
First fruit of the redemption,
Perfect disciple of Christ,
Most pure image of the Church,
Lady of the new covenant,
Lady clothed with the sun,
Lady crowned with stars,
Lady of great goodness,
Lady of forgiveness,
Lady of our families,
Joy of the new Israel,
Splendor of holy Church,
Honor of the human race,
Advocate of grace,
Minister of human pity,
Helper of the People of God,
Queen of love,
Queen of mercy,
Queen of peace,
Queen of the angels,
Queen of the patriarchs,
Queen of the prophets,
Queen of the apostles,
Queen of martyrs,
Queen of confessors of the faith,
Queen of virgins,
Queen of all saints,
Queen conceived without sin,
Queen assumed into heaven,
Queen of earth,
Queen of heaven,
Queen of the universe.

The service was pure Francis – no stole, no incense at the statue, no allocution. And the litany is filled with beautiful imagery, is it not?

A blessed feast of the Immaculate Conception to all.

awr

Anthony Ruff, OSB

Fr. Anthony Ruff, OSB, is a monk of St. John's Abbey. He teaches liturgy, liturgical music, and Gregorian chant at St. John's University School of Theology-Seminary. He is widely published and frequently presents across the country on liturgy and music. He is the author of Sacred Music and Liturgical Reform: Treasures and Transformations, and of Responsorial Psalms for Weekday Mass: Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter. He does priestly ministry at the neighboring community of Benedictine sisters in St. Joseph.

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Comments

5 responses to “Honoring Mary, Francis Style”

  1. Fr Kurt Barragan

    The commentator obviously assumed that the Litany of Loreto would be used.

    The lovely litany that you have translated was included in the 1981 “Ordo Coronandi Imaginem Beatae Mariae Virginis”.

    Reply
    1. Anthony Ruff, OSB Avatar
      Anthony Ruff, OSB

      @Fr Kurt Barragan – comment #1:
      Thanks for this info, Fr. Barragan.

      This is a short service. As you point out, the differences – in addition to no stole, no incense, and no allocution – are more use of vernacular rather than Latin and no “Thou art Peter” at the beginning. This latter is a welcome change, it makes it less about the pope and his status.

      I suspect it was the consultants to the Office for Liturgical Celebrations, along with the MC, who were involved in the selection of this litany, just as the consultants and MC would have been involved in the 2011 planning decisions. I believe it is they (not CDW) who plan papal liturgies.

      awr

      Reply
      1. Fr Kurt Barragan

        @Anthony Ruff, OSB – comment #3:

        I’m sure that the consultants are involved in planning celebrations. What I meant to write was that the use of this litany this year should not be seen as a great innovation from the new consultants as the same litany has been used every year since at least 2010 (albeit in Latin until 2012). I don’t know what was used before that as the older booklets don’t seem to be available online.

        Anyway, we are both agreed that it is a lovely and simple service. Thank you for drawing attention to it!

  2. Fr Kurt Barragan

    I don’t think that the inclusion of this litany has anything much to do with the new consultants at the Office of Liturgical Celebrations.

    Today’s service is substantially the same as the one that Benedict XVI used in 2011: Sign of the Cross, greeting, prayer, reading from Apocalypse 12, litany from the Order of Crowning, “Ave Maria”, blessing, “Tota Pulchra Es”.

    The differences (and I’ll grant that these are typical of the different styles of Francis and Benedict XVI) are that in 2011, “Tu es Petrus” was sung at the beginning and the litany and blessing were in Latin.

    Reply
  3. Johann Christian

    The lack of a stole makes sense given that it lacked some properly “liturgical” actions like offering incense or preaching. These are all choices that make sense, given Francis’ preference for popular piety over liturgical form.

    Reply

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