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MAY DEVOTION: BLESSED VIRGIN MARY
Since the 16th century Catholic piety has assigned entire months
to special devotions. Toward the end of the eighteenth century a
zealous Jesuit priest, Father Lalomia, started among the students
of the Roman college of his Society the practice of dedicating May
to Our Lady. The devotion, which others had promoted in a small
way, soon spread to other Jesuit Colleges and to the entire Latin
church and since that time it has been a regular feature of Catholic
life.
Invocations
Thou who wast a virgin before thy delivery, pray for us. Hail Mary,
etc. Thou who wast a virgin in thy delivery, pray for us. Hail Mary,
etc. Thou who wast a virgin after thy delivery, pray for us. Hail
Mary, etc.
My Mother, deliver me from mortal sin. Hail Mary (three times).
Mother of love, of sorrow and of mercy, pray for us.
Remember, O Virgin Mother of God, when thou shalt stand before the
face of the Lord, that thou speak favorable things in our behalf
and that He may turn away His indignation from us. Roman Missal
Thou art my Mother, O Virgin Mary: keep me safe lest I ever offend
thy dear Son, and obtain for me the grace to please Him always and
in all things.
For The Help Of The Blessed Virgin Mary
May we be assisted, we beseech Thee, 0 Lord, by the worshipful intercession
of Thy glorious Mother, the ever-Virgin Mary; that we, who have
been enriched by her perpetual blessings, may be delivered from
all dangers, and through her loving kindness made to be of one heart
and mind: who livest and reignest world without end. Amen. Roman
Missal
The Salve Regina
Hail, holy Queen, Mother of mercy, hail, our life, our sweetness,
and our hope! To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve!
To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale
of tears! Turn then, most gracious advocate, thine eyes of mercy
towards us; and after this, our exile, show unto us the blessed
fruit of thy womb, Jesus! O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary!
Roman Breviary
Prayer To The Blessed Virgin Mary
O blessed Virgin Mary, who can worthily repay thee thy just dues
of praise and thanksgiving, thou who by the wondrous assent of thy
will didst rescue a fallen world? What songs of praise can our weak
human nature recite in thy honor, since it is by thy intervention
alone that it has found the way to restoration? Accept, then, such
poor thanks as we have here to offer, though they be unequal to
thy merits; and, receiving our vows, obtain by thy prayers the remission
of our offenses. Carry thou our prayers within the sanctuary of
the heavenly audience, and bring forth from it the antidote of our
reconciliation. May the sins we bring before Almighty God through
thee, become pardonable through thee; may what we ask for with sure
confidence, through thee be granted. Take our offering, grant us
our requests, obtain pardon for what we fear, for thou art the sole
hope of sinners. Through thee we hope for the remission of our sins,
and in thee, 0 blessed Lady, is our hope of reward. Holy Mary, succour
the miserable, help the fainthearted, comfort the sorrowful, pray
for thy people, plead for the clergy, intercede for all women consecrated
to God; may all who keep thy holy commemoration feel now thy help
and protection. Be thou ever ready to assist us when we pray, and
bring back to us the answers to our prayers. Make it thy continual
care to pray for the people of God, thou who, blessed by God, didst
merit to bear the Redeemer of the world, who liveth and reigneth,
world without end. Amen. Saint Augustine
Petition To Mary
Most holy Virgin Immaculate, my Mother Mary, to thee who art the
Mother of my Lord, the queen of the universe, the advocate, the
hope, the refuge of sinners, I who am the most miserable of all
sinners, have recourse this day. I venerate thee, great queen, and
I thank thee for the many graces thou hast bestowed upon me even
unto this day; in particular for having delivered me from the hell
which I have so often deserved by my sins. I love thee, most dear
Lady; and for the love I bear thee, I promise to serve thee willingly
for ever and to do what I can to make thee loved by others also.
I place in thee all my hopes for salvation; accept me as thy servant
and shelter me under thy mantle, thou who art the Mother of mercy.
And since thou art so powerful with God, deliver me from all temptations,
or at least obtain for me the strength to overcome them until death.
From thee I implore a true love for Jesus Christ. Through thee I
hope to die a holy death. My dear Mother, by the love thou bearest
to Almighty God, I pray thee to assist me always, but most of all
at the last moment of my life. Forsake me not then, until thou shalt
see me safe in heaven, there to bless thee and sing of thy mercies
through all eternity. Such is my hope. Amen. Saint Alphonsus
Liguori
To Mary, Refuge Of Sinners
Hail, most gracious Mother of mercy, hail, Mary, for whom we fondly
yearn, through whom we obtain forgiveness! Who would not love thee?
Thou art our light in uncertainty, our comfort in sorrow, our solace
in the time of trial, our refuge from every peril and temptation.
Thou art our sure hope of salvation, second only to thy only-begotten
Son; blessed are they who love thee, our Lady! Incline, I beseech
thee, thy ears of pity to the entreaties of this thy servant, a
miserable sinner; dissipate the darkness of my sins by the bright
beams of thy holiness, in order that I may be acceptable in thy
sight.
For The Grace Of Love
O Mary, my dear Mother, how much I love thee! And yet in reality
how little! Thou dost teach me what I ought to know, for thou teachest
me what Jesus is to me and what I ought to be for Jesus. Dearly
beloved Mother, how close to God thou art, and how utterly filled
with Him! In the measure that we know God, we remind ourselves of
thee. Mother of God, obtain for me the grace of loving my Jesus;
obtain for me the grace of loving thee! Cardinal Merry del Val
To The Blessed Virgin Mary For May
O most august and blessed Virgin Mary! Holy Mother of God! glorious
Queen of heaven and earth! powerful protectress of those who love
thee, and unfailing advocate of all who invoke thee! look down,
I beseech thee, from thy throne of glory on thy devoted child; accept
the solemn offering I present thee of this month, specially dedicated
to thee, and receive my ardent, humble desire, that by my love and
fervor I could worthily honor thee, who, next to God, art deserving
of all honor. Receive me, 0 Mother of Mercy, among thy best beloved
children; extend to me thy maternal tenderness and solicitude; obtain
for me a place in the Heart of Jesus, and a special share in the
gifts of His grace. 0 deign, I beseech thee, to recognize my claims
on thy protection, to watch over my spiritual and temporal interests,
as well as those of all who are dear to me; to infuse into my soul
the spirit of Christ, and to teach me thyself to become meek, humble,
charitable, patient, and submissive to the will of God.
May my heart bum with the love of thy Divine Son, and of thee, His
blessed Mother, not for a month alone, but for time and eternity;
may I thirst for the promotion of His honor and thine, and contribute,
as far as I can, to its extension. Receive me, 0 Mary, the refuge
of sinners! Grant me a Mother's blessing and a Mother's care, now,
and at the hour of my death. Amen.
To Our Lady
Saint John Vianney, better known as the Cure of Ars, when asked
how long he had loved Mary, said: "I loved her almost before
I could know her." In this prayer he expresses that love. O
thou most holy virgin Mary, who dost evermore stand before the most
holy Trinity, and to whom it is granted at all times to pray for
us to thy most beloved Son; pray for me in all my necessities; help
me, combat for me, and obtain for me the pardon of all my sins.
Help me especially at my last hour; and when I can no longer give
any sign of the use of reason, then do thou encourage me, make the
sign of the cross for me, and fight for me against the enemy. Make
in my name a profession of faith; favor me with a testimony of my
salvation, and never let me despair of the mercy of God. Help me
to overthrow the wicked enemy. When I can no longer say: "Jesus,
Mary, and Joseph, I place my soul in your hands," do thou say
it for me; when I can no longer hear human words of consolation,
do thou comfort me. Leave me not before I have been judged; and
if I have to expiate my sins in purgatory, oh! pray for me earnestly;
and admonish my friends to procure for me a speedy enjoyment of
the blessed sight of God. Lessen my sufferings, deliver me speedily,
and lead my soul into heaven with thee: that, united with all the
elect, I may there bless and praise my God and thee for all eternity.
Amen. Saint John Vianney
Act Of Reparation
O blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from heaven,
where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner,
thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness,
yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by
impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise
and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature
of all God's handiwork. I bless thy holy name, I praise thine exalted
privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever virgin, conceived without
stain of sin, co-redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal
Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless
the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom
and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee
as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed
Trinity, who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from
all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime
heights. 0 Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend
thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act
of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy
divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.
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“Jesus’
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