Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 9 : § 7.1-3

Chapter 9 : Devotion – an eighth feature of the gratitude we owe the Mother of God

Continuing our translation of the 1845 reprint of Fr François Poiré’s Triple Crown of the Mother of God (1643 French edition).

Notre Dame des Grâces, Cotignac (Poggi, 2020)

§ 7. Seventh sign of devotion : frequent recitation of the little Crown of twelve Stars

 1   This is the third crown which we can place upon the noble and august head of the MOTHER OF GOD who has in fact deserved to receive millions of crowns. It is the little crown of twelve stars which countless people offer her every day. As for those who use the excuse of their busy lives to claim they have time for short prayers only, I do not know what pretext they will be able to use to avoid this little prayer which can be said in no more time than it takes to walk around a room, seeing that it is composed only of three Paters, each of which is followed by four Ave Marias, making no more than twelve Ave Marias in all. People must not care very much for their salvation to have so little regard for the favour of the Queen of Heaven when it can be obtained so cheaply. 

 2   The Holy Spirit revealed this crown in the 12th chapter of the Apocalypse with the image of the mysterious woman who had on her head a crown of twelve stars which, according to the Holy Doctors I cited at the beginning of this work, symbolise the twelve favours or privileges of the MOTHER OF GOD. Three Pater nosters are also included in honour of the most Holy Trinity which supplied the material and the craftsmanship for this precious crown, meaning that the Trinity enriched the most sacred Virgin with so many graces. Here is the way the prayer is recited 

With the first Pater Noster and the four Ave Marias which follow, we give thanks to the Eternal Father for the four signal favours He granted to His beloved Daughter: her eternal Predestination, her Immaculate Conception, her most holy Nativity, her wondrous Annunciation and the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation of the divine Word. In honour of these great mysteries and in consideration of these exceptional favours, we ask through the intercession of the most sacred Virgin for eternal salvation, a sincere and heartfelt contrition for our past sins, a fervent desire to attain holiness and an abundance of graces from the Holy Spirit to help in the salvation of others, linking each favour sought to each of the aforementioned mysteries.

With the second Pater Noster and the four Ave Marias which follow, we thank the Son for the four other stars that He has placed in the crown adorning the virginal head of His most holy Mother, namely: that He deigned to make His abode in her womb for the space of nine months, that when He came forth her virginity remained intact, that He took His nourishment from her most pure breasts, that during His minority He was subject to her as to His Ruler and Teacher, that he chose her for His companion during the work of His public life, sharing His joys and His passion. The four petitions which correspond to these four prerogatives aim to obtain perfect purity in body and soul, a true taste for the virginal flesh of the Saviour which is the sustanence of our souls, entire submission to His holy will, and a humble patience amidst adversities. 

With the third Pater Noster, we give thanks to the Holy Spirit for the four signal gifts He granted to His beloved spouse, making her simultaneously Virgin and Mother, Dwelling within her as in his sanctuary raising her body and soul into Heaven, establishing her as Queen and sovereign Lady of the universe. The four graces we ask for which relate to these four privileges are : having a right intention in all our actions, a heart which is responsive to the movements of the glorious Holy Spirit, a good end to a holy life, and special protection from the MOTHER OF GOD.

This does not mean to say, however, that these twelve Ave Marias have to be linked specifically to the twelve prerogatives that I have just mentioned. We are free to substitute others for them since the guiding rule is set by the devotion of the individual who is reciting this prayer. If anyone, for example, wanted to make use of what I have written in the previous Parts of this work concerning the great qualities of Excellence, Power and Goodness of the MOTHER OF GOD, he would have available twelve splendours under each heading and consequently three different ways of honouring the Holy Virgin when praying her Little Crown. This crown is like others in having a cross of honour[1] and it is the custom to contemplate this when saying the Credo as a conclusion to the prayer. There are some, however, who add the Salve Regina, along with the antiphon Sub tuum præsidium, the versicle Ora pro nobis Sancta Dei Genitrix and the prayer Concede nos.

  

Footnotes

[1] Perhaps a reference to the little orb and cross which traditionally surmounts Royal Crowns in Europe.

 3   To place a seal upon our summary of this devotion, I am including by way of conclusion a remarkable account taken from the Supplement of the Mirror[1]: 

Three men were travelling together through a wood and two of them, having gone ahead, were attacked and killed by robbers. The third, who was following them, ran into the robbers and was at risk of suffering the same fate as his companions but he asked them to grant him a respite so that he could greet the mother of God and recite her Little Crown.  Having received permission, he withdrew a little and knelt down. The robbers were watching very carefully what he was doing and they noticed three ladies of outstanding beauty appeared next to him, one of them seated on a throne of gold like a Queen, the others at hert side like ladies-in-waiting. When the poor man recited the Pater Noster, they plucked a beautiful red rose that was coming from his mouth, and white roses when he recited the Ave Marias. They wove these around a band of gold to form a crown which they presented with great reverence to their Queen, who disappeared with her retinue as soon as she had placed it on the head of the man who was commending himself to her from the depths of his heart. This prayer saved his life and was of no less service to the murderers. When they asked him who those ladies were and he said that he had seen nothing of what had happened, they told him in detail everything they had seen. From this, the man realised that this Queen of extraordinary beauty and majesty was none other than the MOTHER OF GOD and the two ladies-in-waiting were St Lucy and St Catherine. The spectacle had such a deep effect upon the hardened hearts of the robbers that they promptly sought the Sacrament of Penance. As for the traveller, he felt so indebted to his benefactress that he felt the only way he could thank her for such an exceptional favour was by consecrating the rest of his days to her service. 

Footnotes

[1] Perhaps a reference to The Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary and its supplement The Psalter of Our Lady, by St Bonaventure.

© Peter Bloor 2026 

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The Virgin of Tenderness. >12th century.

SUB tuum præsidium confugimus, Sancta Dei Genitrix. Nostras deprecationes ne despicias in necessitatibus, sed a periculis cunctis libera nos semper, Virgo gloriosa et benedicta. Amen. 

 

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin. They that explain me shall have life everlasting. Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 30-31.