My relationship with Mary, Queen of Angels, has endured through many changes in belief and practice. Even during my years away from the Catholic Church, I continued to turn to the Blessed Virgin for comfort. Somewhere within me, I still wanted to shelter beneath her blue mantle.
Yet loving Mary did not mean that I always understood her well.
In an earlier article, I interpreted a dream through ideas about Mary and the Divine Feminine. The dream was real, but I now recognise that I read too much into it. My interpretation carried some of my own frustration with the Church.
During September, not long after writing this now deleted article, I began praying the Seven Sorrows chaplet. The first time I prayed it, I cried for nearly an hour. Meditating on Mary’s suffering alongside Christ reached a place that thinking alone had struggled to reach.
Praying the chaplet and Rosary daily helped me understand her role and nature more clearly. I began to long for a life more fully shaped by prayer, worship and participation in Church life.
Here on Angelorum, I want to honour her especially as Regina Angelorum: Mary, Queen of Angels.
Jump to the Under Mary’s Mantle Tarot Spread
Who Is the Blessed Virgin Mary?
Mary was a Jewish woman of Nazareth, chosen by God to become the mother of Jesus Christ. Her place in Christian faith begins with the Incarnation: the eternal Son of God taking our humanity from her.
The title Mother of God, or Theotokos, expresses who her Son is. Jesus is truly God and truly human. Mary is his mother; she is not the origin of God’s eternal existence. The Catechism’s account of Mary’s divine motherhood explains this relationship.
I have previously described Mary as a goddess. That language no longer reflects my understanding or devotion. I honour her as a human person whose life is filled with God’s grace.
Catholic teaching distinguishes the special veneration given to Mary from the adoration given to God. Her intercession depends entirely on Christ, as the Catechism explains.
For me, learning this distinction has made prayer clearer. I can love Mary deeply and ask for her prayers while placing my trust in God.
Regina Angelorum: Why Mary Is Queen of Angels
Regina Angelorum means Queen of Angels. This title belongs to the Litany of Loreto, where the faithful ask Mary to pray for us under many names, including Mother of God, Comfort of the Afflicted and Queen of Peace.
Her queenship flows from her relationship with Jesus Christ. As the mother of the divine King, united with him in his earthly life and heavenly glory, she shares in his royal dignity through God’s grace.
In Ad Caeli Reginam, Pope Pius XII explains that Mary’s queenship is dependent on Christ. He also describes her dignity above the angels and saints.
Mary remains human. The title recognises the extraordinary honour God gives her as the Mother of his Son. Her heavenly dignity expresses what grace has accomplished in a human life.
That is something I find deeply moving. A woman who lived an earthly life, loved her child and knew sorrow is honoured among the heavenly hosts. Human tenderness belongs within this vision of glory.
On a site called Angelorum, this title feels like a natural centre for Marian devotion. Mary and the angels direct our attention towards God, inviting us into lives of prayer, faithfulness and loving service.
A Queenship of Love and Service
The word queen can suggest distance, privilege and worldly power. Mary’s life helps us understand her title through humility and care.
Pope Benedict XVI described her queenship as a queenship of service and love. Her closeness to Christ bears fruit in maternal concern for those who turn to her.
This gives devotional images of Mary a living purpose. A crown can remind us of her heavenly glory. Her mantle can help us contemplate protection and belonging. The child in her arms brings our attention back to Jesus.
When I imagine sheltering beneath her blue cloak, I bring my weariness, grief and uncertainty into prayer. There is room there for the person I actually am, including the parts of me that are still making sense of my faith journey and learning how to trust.
The prayer can be very simple:
Mary, Queen of Angels, pray for us.
Mary and Gabriel at the Annunciation
The Annunciation gives us a direct encounter between Mary and an angel. In Luke 1:26–38, Gabriel comes to Nazareth with the announcement that she will bear the Son of God.
Mary is troubled by his greeting. She considers what it means and asks how this can happen. Gabriel answers her question before she gives her consent.
Her response is often called her fiat: her willing yes to God’s word.
“May it be done to me according to your word.” — Luke 1:38 USCCB
I find room for both discernment and courage in this encounter. Mary listens, questions and responds. Her trust takes shape within a real conversation.
We can bring that pattern into our own prayer. What are we being asked to understand? Where do we need help? What faithful response is possible with the light we have?
For a closer contemplation of this encounter and its imagery, see the Annunciation Tarot Spread.
Our Lady of Sorrows: Learning to Remain
My renewed understanding of Mary began with tears while praying the Seven Sorrows chaplet.
The devotion draws us into the suffering she experienced in her life with Christ. As I prayed, her motherhood became more immediate to me. I found myself contemplating love that remains present when it cannot make everything painless.
For me, meditating on her sorrows has made it easier to bring my own grief into prayer. I do not have to arrive composed or explain everything before I begin.
This also asks something of me. Can I remain present to another person’s suffering? Am I listening without rushing to tidy it away? Can I cry with those who are crying?
Our Lady of Sorrows has helped me understand compassion as something we practise with our whole selves. Sometimes that begins with allowing the tears to come.
From the Assumption to Heavenly Glory
Catholic teaching holds that Mary was taken body and soul into heavenly glory at the completion of her earthly life. Her Assumption is a unique participation in Christ’s Resurrection and a sign of the resurrection promised to his followers.
The Solemnity of the Assumption falls on 15 August. The Memorial of the Queenship of Mary follows on 22 August, expressing the connection between her glorification and royal dignity.
Contemplating this gives me hope for our embodied humanity. The body that carries love, labour, ageing and suffering belongs within God’s promise of redemption.
The Mary we honour in glory is the same Mary whose earthly life included uncertainty and sorrow. Her story invites us to entrust our whole lives to God.
For more on this mystery, see The Assumption of Mary: Nothing Human Is Left Behind.
Honouring Mary, Queen of Angels, in Daily Life
Marian devotion can begin with a few quiet minutes. Give your attention to a prayer, a passage of Scripture or a simple act of care. Let the practice grow at a pace you can sustain.
Pray the Rosary
The Rosary gives us a rhythm for meditating on the life of Christ with Mary. The familiar words help me return when my thoughts wander. Over time, the mysteries become places I can revisit with whatever life has brought that day.
Meditate on the Seven Sorrows
The Seven Sorrows chaplet has helped me become more willing to bring grief and vulnerability into prayer. You can also begin with one sorrow and spend a little time contemplating it. Ask for the grace to love faithfully within your own circumstances.
Pray the Litany of Loreto
The litany offers many ways to contemplate Mary’s care and vocation. One day, Comfort of the Afflicted may speak most strongly. On another, it may be Mother of Good Counsel or Queen of Peace.
Here on Angelorum, Queen of Angels has a special place. You can carry that invocation into the day alongside your Guardian Angel devotion.
Spend Time with Scripture
Read the Annunciation slowly. Return to Mary’s Magnificat, her song of praise in Luke 1:46–55. Let a phrase stay with you long enough to become prayer.
Her words direct our attention to what God has done and to his mercy. I find that especially helpful when my thoughts have become a rather crowded committee meeting.
Honour Mary with Flowers and Loving Action
May is traditionally dedicated to Mary in Catholic devotion. Flowers and the custom of May crowning offer visible expressions of love and honour. A small vase beside a Marian image can also become a daily reminder to pray.
Carry that devotion into something practical: visit someone lonely, listen patiently or help a person who is struggling. Give the prayer hands and feet.
Mary and the Fruitfulness of Grace
St Hildegard of Bingen offers a beautiful Marian image in O Viridissima Virga: Mary as the greenest branch, bringing forth Christ, the flower through whom the world receives new life.
This image helps me contemplate fruitfulness beyond biological motherhood. A life can bear fruit through creativity, prayer, encouragement and service, including in seasons when our circumstances or bodies are changing.
What needs tending? Where might patience allow something to grow? What gift could become nourishment for another person?
For further angelic study and devotional resources, visit Angels: Prayer, Companionship & Spiritual Study.
Under Mary’s Mantle Tarot Spread
This 7-card contemplative Tarot spread draws on the Marian themes of trust, sorrow, discernment and loving service.
Begin with a moment of quiet prayer. You might light a candle beside an image of Mary or hold your rosary for a few breaths. Ask for her intercession and for the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
Mary, Queen of Angels, pray for me as I bring my life before God. Help me to listen with humility, recognise what needs care and respond with love. Holy Spirit, guide my discernment and my next faithful step. Amen.
Shuffle and draw 7 cards in your usual way. Allow their imagery to meet your prayer, memories and present circumstances. Give unexpected associations time to unfold.
1. The Mantle — Where Do I Need Care?
What part of my life needs tenderness, protection or support?
Notice what you have been trying to carry alone. Consider where receiving help could become an act of trust.
2. The Sorrow — What Needs to Enter My Prayer?
What grief, fear or unresolved pain is asking for my attention?
Let the card give shape to what may have been difficult to name. Bring it honestly before God.
3. The Annunciation — What Is Asking for a Response?
What invitation, possibility or responsibility is coming into view?
Listen for the connection between the card and your actual life. Something ordinary may deserve more attention than you first thought.
4. Discernment — What Needs a Closer Look?
Where do I need clarity, patient examination or wise counsel?
Consider how desire, fear or an old assumption may be influencing your interpretation. Stay open to an understanding that develops over time.
5. Grace — What Help Can I Receive?
What gift, relationship or support could help me respond faithfully?
Look for what is already available as well as what you might need to ask for. Allow yourself to receive.
6. Loving Service — How Can Love Become Practical?
What concrete act of care is within my reach?
This may involve another person, your own wellbeing or a responsibility that needs attention. Let the insight become something you can do.
7. My Fiat — What Is My Next Faithful Yes?
What can I willingly entrust to God or put into practice now?
Choose a response that fits your real circumstances. A small, honest yes can give prayer somewhere to take root.
Let the Reading Continue in Prayer
Spend a little longer with whichever card draws your attention. You might place it beside the Annunciation passage or return to it after praying the Rosary.
Notice what changes as you pray. An image may deepen, an initial interpretation may soften or a practical response may become clearer. Ask whether the insight helps you become more truthful, compassionate and faithful.
Finish by thanking God and asking Mary to pray for you as you live what you have understood.
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