Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 8 : § 2.9-11

Chapter 8 : Honour – a seventh 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. Second sign of honour : singing her praises

 9   Others have been moved by their love to come up with ever new ways of rendering honour to their Holy Mother. I am grateful to the writer who recently produced a small volume which focuses on this single line of verse: 

Tot tibi sunt dotes, Virgo, quot sidera cælo[1];

but he rearranges the words in as many ways as the rules of Latin hexameter allow and comes up with the total number of stars astronomers had by that time counted in the firmament, namely 1,022[2]. Truth to tell, it is entirely in accord with reason that everything the human mind can discover which partakes of truth and goodness should serve to honour the beautiful splendours of her who will never be honoured by men as much as she deserves.

 

Footnotes

[1] “Thou hast as many gifts, O Virgin, as there are stars in the heavens.”

[2] The line has been attributed to the Flemish Jesuit poet Bernard Bauhusius and was famously analyzed for its permutations by Erycius Puteanus in his 1617 work Pietatis Thaumata.

 10   Many have dedicated their pens and other instruments of their profession to her, along with their vigils and their labours, in recognition of the favours they have reserved from her and of the honour they wish to render her.  

Justus Lipsius is a writer to whom the world of letters is greatly indebted. He placed his pen for many years at the service of his studies in history and classical texts. In this he was greatly helped by the graces and favours of the MOTHER OF GOD, as he himself made clear. He finally dedicated his pen[1] to her and his last work was in fact a compilation of the miracles of Notre Dame de Haut and Notre Dame de Montaigu. 

St Ignatius, bidding a final farewell to his military career in the world in order to do battle in the spiritual domain, passed his vigil of arms in the Monastery of Santa Maria de Montserrat before the statue of the Holy Virgin. He hung his sword and his dagger at her side as if to offer her the honour his arms had won and at the same time promising her all the honour that his new life was to acquire. 

Footnotes

[1] In Fine B. Virg. Hal.

 11   It seems to me, however, that they are the most blessed to whom Heaven has granted the favour of making known, either in speech or in writing, the excellent qualities of the Queen of Heaven and of encouraging the world to love her, to honour her and to serve her. Their position is in fact a thousand times more privileged than that of all the courtiers and favourites on earth. Happier still are those whom God, by a most special grace, has destined to perform on high as Cantors in the Chapel Royal of this peerless Virgin and as Panegyrists singing of her great qualities. What joy to be included amongst those so esteemed by the Queen of Angels! Personally, I would be happy to exchange all I have earned in this life  for just a little place amongst their number. May those whose happy lot this is offer up their thanks and blessings forever. As for ourselves, we pray that our mouths shall be ever be filled with her praises and that in this way, as a Prophet once said[1], she will bridle us lest we should perish.

For, as St Bonaventure says[2], blessed is he who never wearies of singing thy praises and making known thy virtues, since his heart will perforce be flooded with Heavenly light and the Holy Spirit will not fail to dissipate all darkness from his mind.

Footnotes

[1] For my name's sake I will remove my wrath far off: and for my praise I will bridle thee, lest thou shouldst perish. Isai. xlviii.9.

[2] In Psalterio B. Virg.

 

© Peter Bloor 2025 

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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. 

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 8 : § 2.8 St Casimir’s Hymn 12-17

Chapter 8 : Honour – a seventh 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. Second sign of honour : singing her praises

St Casimir’s Hymn

[Translator’s note: The following Hymn was translated from St Casimir’s Latin into French verse by Fr Poiré. What follows is my English verse translation which follows the metre, rhyming scheme and imagery of the French. The seventeen verses conclude with this post.]

(12)

To see how thou art full of grace,

Sweet fruit of union pure and chaste, 

Assigning ev’rything in place 

According to thy will and taste;

To see the Author of all good

Ordaining ev’rything He could

To please thee more than any other:

Then can we doubt the blessed fate

Of those who take thee for their Mother

Is truly cause to celebrate??

(13)

Behold the rich diversity 

Of every year and month and day:

And sharing in this quality

The Star of Armies joins the fray;

Behold her gracious interplay

With Him the Primum Mobile[1];

Just so do men forsooth delight, 

Across the world in different lands,

To follow in the daytime and at night 

The movement of Our Lady’s hands.

(14)

Assured my wishes and design

Of pleasing thee in every sense

Do with the plans forsooth align

That flow from thy sweet providence,

I offer thee, dear Maid, my heart

That thou might strength to it impart

So it may vanquish sin and vice;

Wherein I’ll build a citadel,

Whate’er the cost or sacrifice,

A worthy place for thee to dwell.

(15)

With confidence, no more unsure,

I trust that I may find in thee

A haven peaceful and secure

Within thy bosom’s clemency.

I prithee cast not me aside

But be my guardian and my guide;

Do thou my staunch defender be 

So I may ’scape the ghastly doom

The Prince of darkness plans for me:

A gruesome and accursed tomb.

(16)

Let hell spew forth remorselessly 

The poison of its rage and hate,

Contriving over land and sea

To dominate and desecrate;

Let them renew their grisly dreams

And implement their gruesome schemes

Of rendering me immolate:

Their wretched plans will run awry

For Mary can them all frustrate

In but the twinkling of an eye.

(17)

Oh source of joy and exultation,

May thou reign ever glorious,

Enjoying blessed contemplation 

Eternally victorious.

Those tyrants brewed a noxious bane

But all their scheming was in vain;

Thy place on high is justly claimed

For while thy human Son’s divine,

Next Him men truly have proclaimed

The place of honour’s truly thine!

Footnotes

[1] Primum Mobilé (Latin) = Prime Mover : 1)  God regarded as the motive force of the universe; 2) In the medieval version of the Ptolemaic system of astronomy: an outermost sphere (at first reckoned the ninth, later the tenth) supposed to revolve round the earth from east to west in twenty-four hours, carrying with it the (eight or nine) inner spheres.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

👑   👑   👑

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. 

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 8 : § 2.8 St Casimir’s Hymn 6-11

Chapter 8 : Honour – a seventh 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. Second sign of honour : singing her praises

St Casimir’s Hymn

[Translator’s note: The following Hymn was translated from St Casimir’s Latin into French verse by Fr Poiré. What follows is my English verse translation which follows the metre, rhyming scheme and imagery of the French. There are seventeen verses. ]

(6)

Who knoweth not thy valiant heart

Hath placed in chains these monsters fell

And if thou didst not take our part

We’d share the miseries of hell?

Who knoweth not the fires infernal

All raging promised pain eternal

In Satan’s dungeons deep and dark?

Or that without thine intercession 

The plan on High was ever stark 

To punish mortal man’s transgression.

(7)

But all of this was just for show, 

Mere images of death and fear; 

This hissing of the hellish foe

Though menacing was but veneer;

They thundered hatred all around

In floods of pestilential sound,

And set within this fiendish frame 

The starry welkin seemed demonic,

All glowing hot with fire and flame

And threat’ning us with doom draconic.

(8)

 

Yet in the end ’twas all in vain,  

Their cunning plans were all frustrated;

Defeat these wretches did sustain,

Their hopes were crushed and terminated;

But worse, their torments did increase

Depriving them of any peace;  

The monstrous engines they designed  

To ruin us and cause our fall 

Against themselves were now assigned

And brought no harm to us at all.

[9]

O Virgin ’tis thy hands did free 

Our souls from this dread knavery;  

Their astral curse was baulked by thee, 

Preserving us ’gainst slavery.

To thee all honour doth redound,

In thee let all our joys resound!

How meet for them to learn at length,

Those wretched, craven imps and fools,

The awesome nature of thy strength:

Thy lightning bolts which crush these ghouls.

(10)

Eve, wanting in fidelity,

The gates of Paradise did close

To all of her posterity

Because the sin of Pride she chose;

Her insolent temerity

Provoked the Lord’s severity:

His sword He drew to mark this crime

But through thine overflowing grace

Thou hast preserved us all in time

From suff’ring sin’s most just disgrace.

(11)

Created by th’Omnipotent,

This gentle Maid of Heav’n and grace,

All pure in heart and innocent, 

Has rival none in all our race.

The Lord Himself yields to her will 

And gladly helps her to fulfil  

His wondrous works as best He can;

These two await thine invocation 

And earth’s wish is none other than

To implement thy supplication.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

👑   👑   👑

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. 

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 8 : § 2.8 St Casimir’s Hymn 1-5

Chapter 8 : Honour – a seventh 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. Second sign of honour : singing her praises

St Casimir’s Hymn

[Translator’s note: The following Hymn was translated from St Casimir’s Latin into French verse by Fr Poiré. What follows is my English verse translation which follows the metre, rhyming scheme and imagery of the French. There are seventeen verses which will be published over the next few days]

(1)

My heart...

Let naught by night and naught by day

Take up thy feelings and thy thought 

Save only her whose love they say

Wants ev’ry soul to Heaven brought.

May all thy tender love’s desire

And all to which thou dost aspire

Give highest honour, perfect praise,

To Mary who with sweetest grace

Doth Heaven’s Angels all amaze

When nestled in her love’s embrace.

(2)

Her face so radiant and so bright

Doth not allow nor cloud nor shade

To hide from our astonished sight

The noble beauty there displayed.

And ev’ryone doth realise 

That there is nothing in the skies,

Nor on the earth, nor on the sea,

To match her peerless beauty fair,

And never worldly eye did see see  

A comeliness so sweet and rare.

(3)

There may be some who will deride

My overweening plan’s assumption 

For rooted being in foolish pride

And falling foul of vain presumption

Unless I can at least succeed 

In satisfying people’s need

Through heartfelt efforts with my quill

To bring to life her gracious features;

Her splendours truly fire my will,

For she is purest of all creatures.

(4)

Consider how the finest minds

When musing on her holy name

Do struggle with the choice of lines 

Befitting her celestial fame;

Their doubts at last when rent asunder,

Replacéd are by words of wonder;

Just so, when I do hesitate

And hold my tongue in timid fear,

Let not my lack of trust dictate

The way I sing her praises here.

(5)

With thou in combat at man’s side,

Oh Lady, Star of th’azure main,

His foes find they are soon denied

And Vict’ry sings her sweet refrain;

Death’s plans he this way doth frustrate,

And blesséd is with wondrous fate:

Despite the anger and the rage 

Of demons venting furious spleen,

A virtuous life he’ll now engage

Protected by his Heavenly Queen.

 

© Peter Bloor 2025 

👑   👑   👑

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. 

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 8 : § 2.6-8

Chapter 8 : Honour – a seventh 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. Second sign of honour : singing her praises

 6   Hemming was a Bishop from Sweden and a great friend of St Bridget. The Holy Virgin revealed[1] to this Spouse of her beloved Son that, in recognition of the devotion this Bishop showed her by beginning all his sermons with her praises, she would be his Mother forever, she would help him at the hour of his death and she herself would present his soul for judgement by God. 

St Vincent was never able to hear praises of the Virgin’s excellence without his heart melting and his eyes filling with tears of devotion. 

It was the laudable custom of the devout Dominican Fr Venturino of Bergamo to preach every Saturday on the greatness of the Holy Virgin. The crowds flocking to hear his sermons frequently numbered up to thirty or forty thousand. The Queen of Angels showed her gratitude for the devotion of this her servant in various ways, especially in appearing to him and revealing a number of secrets to him.

Footnotes

[1] Revel. extravag., c. 104.

 7   Blessed Stanislaus Kostka would only ever call her his dear Mother; And as for the joy he experienced when speaking of her, this was so great that those who knew him, in order to in order to please him but also for their own delight, would turn the discussion towards her as soon as they saw him coming. I say also for their own delight because it was just not possible for people to see him become animated by the theme and continue the discussion, his noble face lit up with devotion, without being touched, their souls bathed in happiness.

What could produce greater rejoicing than to hear St Gregory Thaumaturgus making a clarion call to all the world, inviting people to praise, glorify and proclaim the blessedness of the Queen of Heaven, and to honour her memory with celebrations and canticles of joy? What a consolation to see how the devout Richard of Saint-Laurent made every effort he could to offer the highest honours to her whom he loved more than his own life? What could be more pleasant than to follow this gentle soul who in the dozen books he wrote praising the my sacred Virgin[1], loses himself in his contemplation of her prerogatives, her privileges and her virtues; who explores the earth in all its fruitfulness, the depths of the oceans, the skies in their vastness and the immensity of the starry vault in an effort to satisfy his devotion; in short, Who leaves nothing unturned in the whole of nature in his quest to exalt the Queen of Heaven?  

Footnotes

[1] Ricardus de Sancto Laurentio, author of De laudibus beatae Mariae Virginis, died c. 1250.

 8   In speaking of people such as these whose devotion to singing the praises of the most sacred Virgin was so great, God forbid that I should fail to mention St Casimir[1]. This young Prince was infinitely more noble by virtue of his outstanding piety than his birth into a noble family and he dedicated himself from his infancy to serving the MOTHER OF GOD. Amongst all the other tokens of the love and gratitude he offered to the Holy Virgin, he never allowed a single day to pass without praising her with a Latin composition that he himself had written in the rhyming style of the time. When he knew that his death was approaching, he expressed his desire for a piece of this composition to be buried with him. When in the year 1609 they came to open the tomb where he had been buried, this Marial was found on his chest, as though serving as a guardian of his heart. Readers who are interested will be able to see it at the end of this work but I am now going to present a selection of the more tender ideas contained in his composition, transposed from Latin into French. 

Footnotes

[1] 1458 -1484: Prince and later Patron Saint of Poland and Lithuania.

 

© Peter Bloor 2025 

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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. 

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 8 : § 2.5

Chapter 8 : Honour – a seventh 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. Second sign of honour : singing her praises

 5   Let us consider just a small selection from the above-mentioned Fathers. How pleasing it is, for example, to see the love which filled the heart and mind of the devout St Bonaventure and the different ways of praising her which this inspired in him. It is as though he is so moved by the desire to honour her that he scarcely kneows where to begin and how best to set forth his celebration. He has given us his beautiful Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a summary of her principal qualities; he has composed for her his Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary which consists of one hundred and fifty Psalms, based upon the model of David’s Psalter; he has written Litany titles for her similar to those in the Roman Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary; he has constructed a Crown for her which aims to rejoice in her splendours and sing her praises; he has written Lamentations similar to those used in the Office of Tenebrae but focusing on her principal sorrows; he has dedicated several Sequences to her which include those ancient types which pre-figured her, setting forth her most outstanding qualities; and he has applied to her the Canticles of Moses, of his sister Mary, of Deborah and others which the Church has inserted in the Divine Office. In short, it is not possible to look into his writings without seeing a heart ablaze with love for the MOTHER OF GOD and fired with a passion to make her honoured by all; but we also derive great pleasure from the particular way he covers her with honour and praise, since his choice of words and his style are so impressive that we are forced to love her whether we wanted to or not.

If he considers her in terms of grace and holiness, he says that she is the fountain of grace, the epitome of good habits, the heavenly lily, the light shining in the darkness, the rose without thorns, the purest of doves, the model of chastity, the measure of justice, the staff of perfect beauty, the Lady of virtue and truth, the example for all the universe. 

If he considers her sweetness and her goodness, then he calls her their honeycomb, the cup-bearer of grace and favours, the resting-place of piety, the jar of divine ointments, the fountain of clemency, the mother of love, the spiritual nurse, the cloud permeated with grace, the net bursting with heavenly benefits.

Does he speak of her providing reconciliation and refuge? Then it is to call her the beautiful rainbow in whom all graces are found, the sweet chamber of peace, the one who restrains the wrath of God, the salvation of the world, the ladder to Heaven, the path leading to life, the guide to salvation, the gate of Heaven, the reparatrix of the world, the mediatrix for sinners, the guardian for men, their singular refuge; the hope of the wretched, the anchor-point for our hopes, the ship, harbour and jetty all in one, the mother of orphans, the source of salvation, the rich vein of mercy, the beacon for those who are lost and the source of courage for those in combat.

Is it a question of her authority and her power? She is, in the words of this devout heart, the death of sin, the scourge of heresies, the ruination of demons, the pillar of Religion, the Queen of Kings, the Sovereign Lady of Empires, the All-powerful one whether in the favours that she mediates, the assistance she provides or the help she gives to undertakings. 

In short, when it comes to her glory and her excellence, she is nothing less than the abode, the privy chamber, the throne and the temple of the Divinity, the Palace of the Holy Trinity, the wonder of the works of God, the clay which moulded its potter, the stream which is the source of its spring,  the star which produces its Sun, the Virgin worthy of God, the wonder of greatness, the paragon of excellence, the honour of the earth, the glory of Paradise, heaven for the intellect, the splendour of divine light, sovereign intelligence, Queen of all the ages, the Daughter, the Mother and the Spouse of God. 

© Peter Bloor 2025 

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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. 

Part IV : How to give thanks to the Mother of God : Chapter 8 : § 2.2-4

Chapter 8 : Honour – a seventh 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. Second sign of honour : singing her praises

 2   Far from it being the case that the sheer heights of her glory should prove daunting for us, they should on the contrary encourage us all the more and inspire us to do everything we possibly can, forasmuch as it is certain, according to the words of a great and Wise man, that we shall never exhaust the fountain of her praises.

Just because we cannot praise her as much as she deserves, says Saint John Damascene[1], do we think this means we can stay silent and that our silence would not be condemned? Far from it, and we should in fact marry affection with fear and respect with love,– just as though we were picking various beautiful flowers which we can use to weave a pleasing garland for her, representing the first fruits of our poor Garden.

Footnotes

[1] Serm. 1 de Assumpt.

 3   We are called upon to do this through her exceptional merits and the effects they have within us. We may also draw inspiration from the moving words of Solomon who tells us[1]: Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her works praise her, not in secret or in some corner, but in public places and in all the finest gatherings. We are called upon to do this because God has made it easy for us to show her our gratitude through this means. I recall how St Mechtilde[2] once found herself in trouble because of something that had happened between her and the Holy Virgin and she was complaining that she had done nothing to deserve this. The Spouse of beautiful souls Himself then appeared to her and said:

“My dearest daughter, for all the favours that thou hast received from my beloved Mother : do thou praise the outstanding fidelity she hath shown in doing and fulfilling the will of my Father, not only in what concerneth me but also herself; do thou praise the outstanding fidelity she hath shown by serving me in every way conceivable and sharing within her soul all the torments that I suffered in my body ; do thou praise the outstanding fidelity she doth continue to show in winning souls for me and her diligence in bringing them back to me in the one true fold.”

Footnotes

[1] Give her of the fruit of her hands: and let her works praise her in the gates. Prov. xxi. 31. 

[2] In ejus Vita.

 4   We are called upon to do this by the glory which comes from these praises to the Saviour of souls. 

If honour rendered to a maidservant passes to her Mistress, says Saint Ildephonsus[1], then all the more reason why that which is rendered to the Mother belongs to the Son, in the same way that she has a goodly share in that which her Son receives as King of glory.

We are called upon to do this by the desire we have for our praises to bury the horrible blasphemies that hell and its minions have spewed forth and which they continue to do every day against her. We are called upon to do this by the wondrous reward that has been prepared and promised to those who devote themselves to praising her and to making her known a reward which is nothing less than life everlasting, following the words of Ecclesiasticus[2] which the Church applies to her.

Finally, says St Ildephonsus[3], we are called upon by the example of her beloved Son and of the glorious Holy Spirit to sing melodious canticles before the throne of Glory.

We are called upon to do this by the example of so many Saints who have performed wonders to praise her who is the Wonder of Heaven. Consider what has not been done by great names such as St Epiphanius, St Athanasius, St Cyril, St Augustine, St Ildephonsus, St Andrew of Candia, St Ephrem, Blessed Peter Damian, St Bernard, Abbot Rupert, St Bonaventure, St Bernardine, St Albert and many others who have provided material for our discussions about the great privileges and dignities of the Holy Virgin. What zeal and ardour have they not displayed in doing battle for her title as MOTHER OF GOD, in defending her virginity, in exalting her humility, in wondering at her charity, in making known to all her virtues and qualities and in calling upon the whole world  to get to know and love her peerless goodness?

Footnotes

[1] Lib. de Virginitate Mariæ, c. 2.

[2] They that explain me shall have life everlasting: Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) xxiv. 31 (and throughout the chapter generally).

[3] Serm. de Assumpt.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

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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.