Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 13 : § 2.1-5

Chapter 13 : Advancing in the service of the MOTHER OF GOD and magnifying her glory – twelfth 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)

§ 2. Various ways of magnifying the honour and service due to the MOTHER OF GOD 

 1   In Sacred Scripture[1] the Blessed Virgin is compared to an army in battle array; one glimpse of the brightness of her arms and her courage is enough to make the enemy flee in terror. On this basis, I would say that those who enrol to do battle in order to increase her service form an army which causes fear and dread in hell. Readers may perhaps be interested in picturing this force.

Footnotes

[1] Cant. vi. 3.

 2   On the Standard of this army is the figure of a Virgin argent clothed with the Sun on a field azure, with the following motto incorporating the words once spoken by a grateful people in favour of the valiant woman Judith[1]: That thy praise shall not depart out of the mouth of men. The General of the army is none other than Jesus, King of Glory and there has never been anyone comparable to Him when it comes to advancing the honour and service of His most holy Mother. On His command and for love of Him, all the others immediately took up arms. Under His command the Colonels of the regiments and commanders in various fields have in obedience to His orders organised recruits, formed Associations and raised companies of people determined to spare no effort in promoting the glory of the Princess of Heaven. Apart from the Founders of the Military and Regular Orders specially dedicated to honour her (which we covered at some length elsewhere[2]), included in their number are : Blessed St Anno, Archbishop of Cologne and founder of a devout Congregation which he instituted in the Virgin’s name; St Dominic who founded the Confraternity of the Rosary; blessed Simon Stock, founder of the Confraternity of the Scapular; and all the others whom I shall not mention here because we have already referred to them in the previous Chapter. I would, however, like to make particular mention of Jacques Rhem, a fellow Jesuit, who around thirty years ago founded a congregation in Germany known as the Sodality of the Annunciation whose members’ principal objective was make the Blessed Virgin the centre of their conversations and interactions. This is something which he himself practised better than anyone else, demonstrating such devotion and affection that it was plain to see that the words he spoke came from the love in his heart.

Footnotes

[1] Judith xiii. 25. Cf. the Knox translation of this verse: Such high renown he has given thee this day, that the praise of thee shall never die on men’s lips

[2] Part I, ch. 12.

 3   The vanguard of this army is composed of the Holy Doctors of the Church who, by reason of their remarkable powers together with their wonderful zeal, earned their selection by God to break through the ranks of ignorance and infidelity in order to give the world an understanding of the Queen of Heaven’s greatness. Amongst these may be mentioned St Gregory Thaumaturgus, St Andrew of Crete, St Methodius, St Germanus of Constantinople, St Ildephonsus, St Anselm, St Bernard, St Albert, St Bonaventure, Abbot Rupert, St Bernardine and many more whose names have been immortalised by the signal services they have rendered to this Lady.

 4   The Cavalry is composed of a great number of invincible warriors who, in defence of her privileges and her titles of honour, have crushed the efforts of the heretics and vanquished their forces. The most distinguished of their number is blessed St Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria and Papal Legate, marching at the head of two hundred prelates who worked wonders at the great Council of Ephesus in order to defend and preserve for the Holy Virgin her glorious title of MOTHER OF GOD. After these we see in ranks without number all those chosen and valiant warriors who at different times have generously offered their services in combat against Satan and his minions whom we saw earlier[1] filled with malice and fury scurrying forwards to wipe out, if they possibly could, the name and renown of Mary. Perhaps we should mention here those valiant champions of the Virgin Mother who, in Spain and elsewhere, formed holy Associations with the aim of defending the honour of the Immaculate Conception of the MOTHER OF GOD, especially those who were the invincible leaders of this undertaking and who underwent a thousand hardships to bring the undertaking to a conclusion. Amongst them may be found those who sealed with their own blood the promises they had made to God that they would defend this truth to the utmost of their power, forasmuch as the Church has issued no degree to the contrary. We might cite the example of a young Jesuit called John Berchmans, as may be confirmed by something he himself wrote which was found amongst his papers after his death.

Footnotes

[1] Part II, ch. 12.

 5   The foot soldiers of the Infantry are almost as numerous as the droplets of water in the Ocean and include all those who are enrolled in companies specially dedicated to the service of the Virgin or who, outside of such Associations, have tried and are trying by their holy speech and by other means to make her known and honoured to others. 

© 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.