My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today, September the 12th, Holy Mother Church sets before our eyes a treasure of immense power and sweetness – the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary. The watchman cries out from the tower, and he calls us to remember that God Himself has glorified this name, and that the devils tremble at it.
We read in Isaias 41:10: “Fear not, for I am with thee, turn not aside, for I am thy God. I have strengthened thee, and have helped thee, and the right hand of my just one hath upheld thee.” In Mary, God has given us a mother who strengthens, who upholds, and whose very name is a fortress.
The Feast of the Holy Name of Mary has its roots in Spain in the 16th century where devotion to her sweet and powerful name flourished. Local calendars first honored it, as the faithful experienced countless graces by invoking her.
In 1683, the tide of history turned on a September day. The armies of Islam pressed against Christian Europe, threatening to overrun Vienna – the heart of Christendom. King John Sobieski of Poland rode into battle, placing his soldiers under the mantle of Mary, and the Christian armies invoked her name. The victory was decisive, miraculous, and unmistakable.
In gratitude, Pope Innocent XI extended the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary to the Universal Church, establishing it as a perpetual remembrance that Mary intercedes powerfully for her children. The feast was placed on September 12th, the date of that saving victory, so that the Church might forever remember that when her children cry out, “Mary, help us!” the Mother of God always answers.
The Abbot Francone proclaimed: “There is no other name after that of the Son, in heaven or on earth, whence pious minds derive so much grace, hope, and sweetness.”
And Thomas á Kempis affirms “that the devils fear the Queen of Heaven to such a degree, that only on hearing her great name pronounced, they fly from him who does so, as from a burning fire.” He also proclaimed, “The invocation of the sacred names of Jesus and Mary is a short prayer which is as sweet to the mind, and as powerful to protect those who use it against the enemies of their salvation, as it is easy to remember.”
“Blessed is the man who loves thy name, O Mary,” exclaimed St. Bonaventure. “Yes, truly blessed is he who loves thy sweet name, O Mother of God! For thy name is so glorious and admirable, that no one who remembers it has any fears at the hour of death.”
O what a fortress God has given us in Mary! No wonder St. Bernard urged: “In dangers, in perplexities, in doubtful cases, think of Mary, call on Mary. Let her not leave thy lips; let her not depart from thy heart.”
Sacred Scripture reveals the power of holy names: “The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the just runneth to it, and shall be exalted” (Proverbs 18:10). So also is the name of Mary – she who bore the Lord of Lords, who is the Tower of David, the Virgin most powerful, the Mother given to us at the foot of the Cross – a fortress and a refuge.
To invoke her name is to call upon the one whom God Himself chose to bear His Word. When we whisper “Mary,” we are not simply speaking a word – we are calling upon the Mother who never ceases to intercede. Her name carries with it the sweetness of her maternal heart, and the terror of Heaven’s Queen against the powers of darkness.
The saints remind us of this truth. Richard of St. Lawrence exclaimed: “There is not such powerful help in any name, nor is there any other name given to men, after that of Jesus, from which so much salvation is poured forth.”
O what a consolation, that in the midst of trial and temptation, we are not left weaponless. The name of Mary is shield and sword, sweetness and strength, tenderness and power.
The witness of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a humble Franciscan who gave his life in Auschwitz for a fellow prisoner, stands out. He lived every day in total consecration to the Blessed Virgin. He founded the Militia of the Immaculata, the “Army of the Immaculate One,” with one mission: to bring the whole world to Jesus through Mary.
St. Maximilian wrote this prayer: “Allow me to praise you, O Virgin Most Holy, allow me to praise you with my commitment and personal sacrifice. Allow me to live, work, suffer, be consumed and die for you, only for you.”
He knew, by lived experience, that her name is a refuge. Even in the dark barracks of the concentration camp, he encouraged prisoners to whisper her name as a prayer and a weapon against despair. Like the soldiers at Vienna, he placed his hope not in his own strength, but in the Mother of God.
Just as in 1683 the cry of “Mary, Mary!” gave courage to the defenders of Christendom, and just as St. Maximilian Kolbe drew strength in the shadow of death by repeating her name, so too are we invited today to find our fortress in her.
We live in times where confusion spreads swiftly, where truth is blurred by noise, and where the Church herself endures trial. But listen again to the promise of Scripture: “ … The Lord is my helper: I will not fear what man shall do to me” (Hebrews 13:6). And remember, the saints assure us that the demons flee at the sound of Mary’s name, “as from a burning fire.”
Therefore, let us not hesitate. Let us whisper her name in moments of temptation. Let us invoke her title in times of distress. Let us call upon her when we face battles within our hearts, within our families, and within the Church.
On this Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary, let us renew our trust in her intercession. Let us remember the Christian armies at Vienna, who overcame by her aid. Let us remember St Maximilian Kolbe, who in the darkest prison found light and courage by consecrating everything to her.
And let us take up this same weapon, her holy name, as a shield against despair, as a sword against temptation, and as a song of victory for the Church.
And so, dear brothers and sisters, let us go forth with this name upon our lips and in our hearts. Let us carry it into our homes, into our struggles, into our final breath. For the Most Holy Name of Mary is not only the memory of past victories, but the promise of present help and future glory. When we cling to her name, we cling to the Mother who will never abandon her children, who leads us unfailingly to her Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
May the Most Holy Name of Mary be your shield in temptation, your comfort in sorrow, your strength in battle, and your joy in every hour. May her maternal intercession draw you ever closer to the Sacred Heart of her Son.
Let us conclude with the prayer of St. Bonaventure: “I ask thee, O Mary, for the glory of thy name, to come and meet my soul when it is departing from this world, and to take it in thine arms.”
And now, may Almighty God bless you – the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland
Bishop Emeritus
