Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 7 : § 3.11-12

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She rules and guides the Church

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)

§ 3. The care taken by the MOTHER OF GOD in conserving and propagating the faith

Her opposition to the Pagans

 11   In the Kingdom of Angola on the coast of Africa, the Society of Jesus had a small house with a Chapel in which stood a statue of the Holy Virgin called Our Lady of Victory. This title was most apt because it is impossible to say how many times Our Lady had placed palms of victory into the hands of Christian soldiers.

In 1587 alone, two battles were won over the Angolans where a mere handful of soldiers took on an enemy numbering in the one case six hundred thousand and in the other twelve hundred thousand soldiers. In the first battle, our men were forced to pull back for a while before the furious assault of the enemy. The image of the Virgin (who had been at the head of their army) was left in the baggage train but was never noticed by the enemy, even though they carried off everything else that they found. After the second battle, one of the Portuguese reproached an Angolan for the faint-heartedness of their soldiers but he insisted that if they had been fighting against anyone other than the Portuguese, the matter would have been quickly settled. All the Angolan soldiers had seen in the sky over the battle a Lady of extraordinary greatness and incomparable beauty, with an old man at her side. They both carried flaming swords and they had swiftly put the Angolans to flight.

I cannot begin to describe the crowds of devout Christians who flocked to this chapel in Angola: I will however point out that it all of them knew their most famous victories had been gained on feast days of the Blessed Virgin.

There can scarcely have been anything more memorable[1] than what happened during the siege of the fortress of Diu, which was built by the Portuguese near the main and westernmost mouth of the river Sindh, known to the ancients as the Indus.

The King of Cambay had been besieging the fortress for seven months with more than twenty thousand men. The defenders numbered no more than three hundred and were in the citadel under the command of Don John Mascarenas. They were on the verge of defeat when in 1546 John de Castro, Viceroy of India, came to their rescue with around three thousand men who launched an attack upon the enemy on the very day of their arrival. The action was so successful that they killed more than four thousand of the enemy and took more than six hundred prisoners, including some of the most important lords of Cambay. They themselves suffered the loss of some sixty men. Captured soldiers confessed that Heaven had been against them for, although the day had been calm and sunny, four of their most powerful cannons had been unable to fire, and all the Angolan fighters had seen over the chapel in the Citadel a Lady of most incredible beauty. The rays of light streaming from her were so brilliant that their eyes were blinded, they were unable to maintain order and they were rendered helpless. The dazzling splendour of this Lady put dread into their hearts, making it impossible for them to fight.

Footnotes

[1] For a colourful description, see Government of India by Don Juan de Castro, from 1545 to 1548, (with acknowledgements to Prof. Emerita Frances W. Pritchett).

 12   History is full of such examples where the help she provided was altogether miraculous. I am personally inclined to set greater store by the invisible help which she has given to countless thousands of souls, enabling them to escape from the quagmires of their own errors, to be delivered from their blindness, and to see the beautiful and heart-warming light of the truth. These are the real conquests of our gentle Mother; these are the victories which have peopled Heaven rather than depopulating the Earth; they are in truth the miracles which render her and will always render her a source of fear and dread to the enemy, consoling to those suffering in defeat, beloved and esteemed by all.

I shall conclude this discussion with an example from recent history which occurred in the kingdom of Cochinchina. For a better understanding of this story, we need to remember that this kingdom, where the Christian faith came only a few years ago, is called in the native tongue Anam, which signifies western part, because from the point of view of China (which is another great kingdom about which both they and the Japanese speak very highly), it is indeed situated on the western side. This is why the Japanese gave it the name of Cochi, which in their own tongue means the same as Anam in the Cochinchinese. This is what led the Portuguese who were trading in this part of the world to take the Japanese word Cochi and add the name China so as to call the area Cochinchina, which would mean Cochin of China – or Kingdom to the west of China.

The kingdom is divided into five provinces, one of which is called Pulucambi. Father Christopher Borri, a member of the Society of Jesus from Milan, was based there for a time in the town of Nouëcman and it is he who recounts the following story, along with a fellow member of the same society. One day they were chatting casually, wondering what Heaven was going to bring them that day, when suddenly they saw a large group of people walking in a most impressive procession across the fields towards them. They asked them what it was that had brought them and what they wanted. They replied that they had seen in their country a most beautiful Lady in the sky, seated in splendour on a throne amidst the clouds. She had told them they were to go to Nouëcman where they would meet the Fathers who would show them the right and true path leading to glory, and would teach them about the true Lord of Heaven. Both the priests and the people in the group acknowledged that this remarkable blessing had come from the most holy Virgin, to whom they offered heartfelt thanksgiving. They duly received instruction and catechesis in preparation for Holy Baptism and finally they were sent back happily to their homes.

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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.

© Peter Bloor 2025 

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 7 : § 3.8-10

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She rules and guides the Church

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)

§ 3. The care taken by the MOTHER OF GOD in conserving and propagating the faith

Her opposition to the Mahommedans

 8   We now turn our attention to the Mohammedans, one of the most terrible scourges ever to have afflicted the kingdom of the Saviour. The Church will be forever indebted to the Blessed Virgin for the help and assistance she has offered in thousands of encounters with them. I will demonstrate later[1] how the whole of Spain would be come to be indebted to her for the freedom which she now enjoys, since it was through her mediation they were delivered from the betrayals, the wickedness and the continual rebellions of the Saracens. For now, however, I would like to share with you something we might do well to remember that happened around sixty or more years ago. 

Father Gaspar Berze, who was once the right-hand man of Saint Francis Xavier, was based for a time in Hormuz. One day he was inspired by Heaven, as events will show, to carry out an extremely daring action. He assembled a group of small children who were learning the catechism and formed them up into a procession. With a cross at the head of the procession,  he led this band of holy innocents straight to the Saracens’ mosque. Once he had arrived there, he hoisted the standard of salvation on the highest point of the building. This so astonished the infidels that they immediately left the building and fled on foot. In order to ensure that posterity would realise this had been achieved through the intervention of the Queen of Heaven, Father Berze converted the mosque into a church which he named Our Lady of Victory, showing that, after God, it was to her alone that this great victory belonged.

We shall discuss elsewhere[2] the Battle of Lepanto, a victory bringing more benefits to Christendom than had been seen for a thousand years.

Footnotes

[1] Part III, ch. 7, § 2.

[2] Ibid.

 9   You will however permit me to recall the prowess of the great and invincible St Louis. Experience has shown that the devil is the very prince of dissemblers and the more the devil is made to suffer, the greater his mockery becomes.

Jean, sire de Joinville, was a seneschal[1] from the Champagne region who was accompanying the king on his journey to the Holy Land. He wrote a life of St Louis in which he describes how one day he was given permission by the king to go on pilgrimage to Our Lady of Tortosa[2] in Tripoli. Amongst several miracles that were performed in his presence, he saw a man possessed of the devil who was lead before the image of Our Lady. As prayers began in earnest for the man’s deliverance, the devil began to speak, saying that Our Lady was not there at the moment but she had gone into Egypt to help the king of France and the Christians who were arriving that very day in the Holy Land to fight against wickedness.

I am not going to dwell upon this testimony and still less upon the nonsense uttered by this wicked spirit. Putting the mockery to one side, however, it was indeed the case that on this very day they had arrived in Egypt and no one could deny that King Louis, in view of his devotion to the MOTHER OF GOD (as I shall explain below[3]), would have experienced her help thousands of times in various encounters and necessities.

Footnotes

[1] seneschal : An official in the household of a sovereign or great noble, to whom the administration of justice and entire control of domestic arrangements were entrusted. In wider use: a steward, ‘major-domo’. 

[2] The Cathedral of Our Lady of Tortosa in Tartus (now in Syria); built in 1123 by Crusaders, it is now a museum and still stands on what is believed to be the site of the original sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin that was dedicated by Saint Peter.

[3] Part III, ch. 7, § 5.I

Her opposition to the Pagans

 10   What can we say about the pagans other than to note how:

• idolatry was expelled from Europe Asia Africa and part of America;
• their oracles were silenced; 
• their temples were cast down, their altars overturned, their idols were  smashed and dragged ignominiously through the streets; and
• the one true God was recognised in places where the demon had previously been worshipped.

For all this, honour is due to the Saviour of the world but, after Him, it is also due to His blessed Mother who moved heaven and earth to plant the standard of her beloved Son everywhere she could. St Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria, made mention of this in his address to the Council of Ephesus nearly twelve hundred years ago. If I wanted to include evidence taken from the Ecclesiastical History and the writings of the Holy Fathers, it would increase the length of this work considerably. I shall therefore stick with our century in which we see the way was opened to the Gospel in a great number of countries where it had never been heard before and in many others where the memory had become almost extinct. It is as clear as day that those whose happy lot it was to carry the light of the truth to the newly discovered lands, only ever marched under the colours of the MOTHER OF GOD. Evidence of this is the beautiful Church dedicated to her in the port of Goa, where all those who disembark and who then scatter far and wide to cultivate the vine of the Saviour, still go to this day to present their petitions. There they receive their orders from the Lady-General of God’s armies so as to be confident when they come to engage with the enemy. Evidence of this is also found in the Virgin’s banners under which her armies march in battle array. Evidence is provided too by the extraordinary piety of the viceroys who, for the most part, believed they could make no progress if they did not always have in their tents an image of the Queen of Heaven, if they did not have recourse unto her each and every time they began a new undertaking, and if they did not always cause her to be borne at the head of their armies.

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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.

© Peter Bloor 2025

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 7 : § 3.4-7

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She rules and guides the Church

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)

§ 3. The care taken by the MOTHER OF GOD in conserving and propagating the faith

She obtains for some the grace to work miracles

 4   Miracles are like seals affixed to doctrine to confirm it is sound, and they are the most compelling reasons left by the Saviour to His Church so that people will embrace the truth of the faith. Do you not believe that the Virgin would play a big role in obtaining this gift for the majority of those to whom it is granted from on high? Here is one example that I would like to share with you, namely what she obtained for the Blessed St Albert, who was an altogether remarkable person and a renowned preacher of the Carmelite Order. He performed countless miracles promoting the glory of God and devotion to the most sacred Virgin. Amongst other things, it is noteworthy that he never performed a miracle without invoking not only the name of Jesus but also that of Mary, from whom he had received this grace.

How she is opposed to the enemies of the Church

Her opposition to heretics

 5   It is true that faith can cause many strange movements of the heart, but it is also true that faith suffers violent attacks, like a ship in a raging tempest. You would think that the whole of hell was busy trying to prevent a tiny grain of mustard seed from being sown in the ground or allowed to take root. You would imagine that all the demons had no other plan then tearing out the roots, such is the hardship and hostility faced by those who are trying to sow the seed of faith. To their front they are faced with the pagans, behind them are the Jews and the Mohammedans, to their left the heretics and to their right the schismatics. Great God! How many obstacles they face and how would they ever be able to overcome them were they not powerfully helped and reinforced from Heaven? Accordingly, all the forces on high send their help, but especially the Virgin Mary whose role it is, as Queen and Ruler of the spiritual empire of her Son, to devote her energies to conserving it and extending it. As for the heretics, we shall be discussing them more fully in the next Chapter where I shall demonstrate how throughout history she has waged effective warfare against them. It is no misrepresentation of the truth for the Church to have granted her the glory of having beaten back and trampled under foot all the heresies that hell was to spew into the world, from the time the Saviour left her as His visible abode.

Her opposition to schismatics

 6   When it comes to the schismatics, alas! Who is there whose heart will not weep at the sight of Ethiopia, Egypt, Greece the greater part of Asia and Africa – so many great kingdoms and beautiful provinces which once served as nurseries for bringing on Saints and were like paradises for Religion but which have been turned into awful wildernesses by the long and dreadful schism that separated them from the Church? What better can we hope for in the future, unless the Protectress of the law and the Reparatrix of piety intervenes in a fitting and timely manner? But take courage, dear reader, and let your tears for a moment cease as I have news that will console you: for I can tell you that she has taken a hand in such a way that, since the time of the Apostles, it is possible that there has never been found a state better disposed to accept obedience to the true faith than the great empire of Ethiopia and, unless misfortune snuffs out our hopes, the whole extent of those lands cut off from the Church. 

With regard to this, I can say to you that around one hundred years ago King John II of Portugal began to negotiate friendship with the Emperor of the Abyssinians (named Alexander). Since then, there has been no letting up with regards to this plan to bring the vast and powerful empire under allegiance to the Holy See and to purge it of the various errors of Nestorius and Eutyches which have infected it, as well as several Jewish and Mohammedan superstitions. The Patriarchs and their companions sent by the Popes from the beginning to clear the ground so as to cultivate this great vine, watered it with so many tears and so many beads of perspiration, cultivating it with such labour over a period of years that in the end God had mercy on them. For it is now nearly twenty years since the Emperor currently reigning, named Sultan Sedegue[1], a great-hearted and valiant Prince, and his brother called Ras Zelachrist[2], viceroy of Goyama who is a veritable Constantine in terms of his piety and courage, rendered all the necessary submission and homage to the Vicar of Our Lord on earth. They cooperated with those sent by Heaven to help them (and with their Latin Patriarch) in a project for the complete conversion of their subjects. They displayed such zeal and fervour that they could be almost taken for new Apostles and I am in no doubt whatsoever that they will one day receive this title, if it pleases God to continue blessing their victories and conquests.

Footnotes

[1] Sedegue: This seems to be a reference to the Sultan Segued. Fr Lobo S.J. arrived in Abyssinia in 1624 and wrote an account of his mission to convert the people from a form of Christianity peculiar to themselves, to orthodox Catholicism. The Abyssinian Emperor Segued was protector of the enterprise. For more, see: Fr Lobo’s work: A Voyage to Abyssinia.

[2] Sometimes written as Ras-Zela-Christ, Ras: An Ethiopian leader or prince. Goyama appears to be a reference to Gomma, a kingdom within Ethiopia.

 7   Now, so that everyone may understand that this praiseworthy enterprise was initiated and undertaken under the favourable auspices of the MOTHER OF GOD, it should be noted that of all the traits of the ancient piety retained by the Abyssinians, there will scarcely be found one more prominent in their hearts and minds than devotion towards and trust in the Holy Virgin. This devotion was the root, so to speak, which would one day cause their first faith to bud forth and blossom anew. Such was undoubtedly the feeling of one of their Patriarchs called Gabriel who, in a letter that he wrote to Pope Clement VIII concerning the reunion of this empire with the Church, humbly entreated his divine majesty to grant them all the grace of one day being part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, with no divisions or disunity – all this coming through the mediation of the glorious MOTHER OF GOD, their beloved and powerful Advocate. The Patriarchs and the Fathers of the Society of Jesus who were employed in this task (even to the point of dying there in misery and poverty) always made her, after God, their principal recourse. Some of their number merited the grace of being notified by her of the day of their death, and of seeing her before dying, as I will explain in another context[1].

The Patriarch Andrew of Oviedo was approached one day by representatives from various villages in the neighbourhood of his home. They urged him to intercede with God on their behalf so that he might deliver them from a scourge that He had sent them – a plague of locusts so numerous that they were breaking the branches of trees. No sooner had he entered into Church to recite the litany of the Blessed Virgin than they found on returning to their villages that all the locusts had died and were rotting away.

The Emperor and his brother had from the beginning cherished a dream of making the Holy Mother honoured everywhere alongside her most beloved Son and they had adopted her as their guide in all their plans. The following story will serve to illustrate their devotion. 

In the year 1621[2], a group of schismatic religious were spreading so many calumnies against our faith that several groups of them, particularly the warlike people of Damot who were much to be feared when under arms, and who had sworn to eradicate every Catholic from Ethiopia. They succeeded so well in their secret plans that in a short while they had put together a sizeable army which they planned to use in a surprise attack upon the Emperor, during the course of which they planned to murder Ras and the Jesuits with the utmost cruelty. They were however unable to keep their plans secret and the Viceroy caught wind of their intentions. When they realised their plot had been discovered, they unfurled their banners and immediately put into the field a large and powerful army. Ras Zela Christ was determined to mount a valiant defence against his foes and he prayed that his soldiers would be strengthened with heavenly weapons. Once he was satisfied that all was ready, he took an image of the blessed Virgin into his hands and, casting his eyes upon her with deep devotion, he addressed her in the sight of all his soldiers as follows:

“Dear Queen of Heaven and Earth, it is thy cause that we are defending against these thine enemies. We go happily to face death in order to uphold the glory of thy name. It is all the more in thine interest to grant us thy help on this day since it is a question of thy honour.”

Then, as though suddenly seized with a feeling of invincible hope, he turned to his men in cheerful confidence and said:

“Be of good heart, most valiant soldiers, for we have nothing to fear but rather we have every hope of a beautiful and glorious victory. If God and His Holy Mother are fighting on our side, which cannot be doubted, then no matter what our enemies do they will not be able to escape defeat.”

The soldiers were so inspired by these words that they began marching towards the enemy (this was the 26th of October), just as though they were on their way to a wedding. The battle swung back and forth but when in the end the schismatics saw they were losing, they turned and fled. This in turn roused the spirits of our own men and they slew more than two thousand of the enemy. Ras did not want to sanction the killing of so many people and so he gave the order to sound the recall, otherwise not one would have escaped alive.

Footnotes

[1] Part III, ch. 13.

[2] Ex litteris illius anni a P. Gaspare Ludovico.

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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.

© Peter Bloor 2025

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 7 : § 3.1-3

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She rules and guides the Church

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)

§ 3. The care taken by the MOTHER OF GOD in conserving and propagating the faith

 1   Fundamental law is to the temporal sphere what true faith and right belief are to the spiritual kingdom of Jesus Christ – which is to say, the Church. This is why it is no wonder that the Virgin has always taken most particular care in conserving and spreading the faith. To consider, for example, nothing more than what she has done since the death of her Son and her Assumption into Heaven, who could have any idea of the number of ways in which she has affirmed Catholic doctrine and extended the boundaries of the Empire of Jesus Christ? I shall not mention now the care that she has always had of the Pastors and Prelates, who are the Fathers of the Church and upon whom depends the well being of Religion (for that will be dealt with below). I will say only in passing what St Gregory of Nyssa tells us in the life of St Gregory Thaumaturgus, namely:

One day the MOTHER OF GOD appeared to this servant of hers, and she was accompanied by Saint John the Evangelist  who was wearing pontifical vestments. She asked him to explain to his friend Gregory the mystery of the most holy Trinity. The Holy Apostle fulfilled this request in such a worthy manner that as soon as the encounter had ended, St Gregory put down in writing everything that he had just heard. By means of this, he preserved his church in Neocaesarea from error, passing on to them the belief that they were to hold in terms written in his own hand.

Accordingly, I do not find it in the least strange that St Basil[1] was so proud of imbibing with his mother’s milk, so to speak, the faith that St Macrina[2] (his grandmother and his spiritual nurse) had taught him using the words of the same St Gregory. On the contrary, I honour this with all my heart, granted that the same belief was later presented to the fifth general synod, in the form that we now have it amongst the writings of St Gregory of Neocaesarea. The benefit this brought inestimable benefits to the Church over so many centuries.

Footnotes

[1] Epist. 64, 75, 79.

[2] The French text has Marine but this appears to be a reference to St Macrina the Elder, who was a disciple of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker and grandmother of Saint Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. See: St Macrina the Elder in the Catholic Encyclopedia.

The Holy Virgin’s solicitude for supplying the Church with good Preachers

 2   Who cannot fail to be aware of how important good Preachers are for extending the boundaries of the Saviour’s kingdom, for supporting the faith where it has already been established, for reigniting it where it has been extinguished, and for spreading the word where it has yet to be heard? For in the end, Faith cometh by hearing[1], reaching the ears of the faithful and of the infidels by means of Preachers. It would not take long to explain how those Preachers who came to help the Church have been so many men commissioned by the MOTHER OF GOD who, apart from disposing them to this calling, took great pains to help them with her graces as well. Here is an example of this general point : who is there who has not heard how she was the one who brought into the world the Holy Order of Friars Preachers? Who cannot be aware of how many ways she helped them at the beginning to bring forth fruit worthy of the loving womb in which they had been conceived? Here is a particular example taken from the life of St Peter of Verona, commonly known as the Martyr, who was himself of the Dominican Order:

Pope Innocent IV, who had been in the same Order, sent Peter into the region of Lombardy to defend it against an invasion of ravenous wolves – namely, various heretics who were launching their attacks upon the faith with as much cunning as violence and arrogance. He warmly commended this mission to the Queen of Heaven, for he was in no doubt that he had received this commission from her. At one point, whilst he was transported with great fervour, he heard the voice of his beloved Mother who was reassuring him in the same way that the Saviour had spoken to Peter, his patron saint, telling him:

“Peter, I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.”[2]

In the end, Peter showed such courage in holding to his faith that he sealed it with his own blood. On the same day that he was slain by the heretics a blessed soul, who was far distant from the place of the martyrdom, saw the MOTHER OF GOD between two saints and it was revealed to him that one of these was Peter of Verona of the Order of Friars Preachers who had just shed his blood in defence of the faith. This was verified by checking the date and the time of the Holy Martyr’s death which matched the deposition written by this soul beloved of God.

Footnotes

[1] Rom. x. 17.

[2] Luke xxii. 32.

 3   It is reported in the life of St Dominic that in a Cistercian monastery situated in Tuscany (known popularly as San Galgano):

there was a brother called James who was widely reputed for his holiness on account of his childlike simplicity and his numerous virtues. He would often listen to the sermons of a Dominican preacher, deriving great pleasure and satisfaction from them. The MOTHER OF GOD decided to reward the devotion of this good hearted brother by allowing him to witness the singular favours that she would communicate to the Preacher, her servant. As a result, whilst James was listening one day to the sermon as usual, he saw the Holy Virgin holding a book open in front of the Preacher who was reading word for word what he was teaching to his listeners. He also had an experience whilst he was present during the sermon of another Dominican preacher, when he saw the Mother of gentleness standing by the side of the Preacher, and whispering in his ear what he was to say and how he was to say it during the sermon. This caused such an explosion of devotion within James towards this holy Order that he wished everyone could join it so as to help in winning souls.

It has to be admitted that not everyone merits these extraordinary graces, but I for my part have no doubt that the majority of zealous preachers are able to benefit in ways that cannot be seen from this special assistance of the most Holy Virgin. This is without doubt the belief of the Church for it was not without reason that she directed those called to such an honourable ministry should at the beginning of their sermons always implore the Queen of Heaven for her help. Through this the Church wants them to realise that, just as the Virgin is the Mother of the eternal word of God, in the same way she administers the temporal word. It is her privilege to distribute this to all those who are proclaiming the word to others, filling them with strength and zeal so that they can penetrate and melt hearts that have grown hard and set on fire minds that have grown cold.

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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.

© Peter Bloor 2025

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 7 : § 2.3-4

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She rules and guides the Church

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. The Holy Virgin truly rules and guides the Church

 3   If this were otherwise, tell me why this same Church would have bestowed on her the glorious titles of Queen of Angels, Queen of Patriarchs, Queen of Prophets, Queen of Apostles, Queen of Martyrs, Queen of Confessors and Queen of Virgins? It would in truth serve only to diminish the Holy Virgin’s honour if we were to say that these glorious names were granted her solely inasmuch as she surpasses the Angels in purity, the Patriarchs in perseverance, the Prophets in foreknowledge, the Apostles in holiness, the Martyrs in courage, the Confessors in patience and the Virgins in chastity. Personally, I could never be persuaded that this illustrious and magnificent title of Queen refers only to the excellent status she enjoys but without any actual power or dominion. This thought would not be to the honour of either the Mother or the Son, especially since the title has been given to her as MOTHER OF GOD. 

Accordingly, let us proclaim with confidence that she is called the Queen of Angels forasmuch as she has been given full power over them, for the benefit of the children of God; she is called the Queen of Patriarchs inasmuch as in the Old Testament they were all like stepping stones leading up to her greatness, and in the New they are those whom she brings forward and guides in their duties and offices within the government of her Son’s Kingdom; she is called the Queen of Prophets, for she herself featured in what was foretold by the ancient Prophets and has served as a guide for the new; she holds the title Queen of Apostles since she was the Queen Regnant of the Sacred College and Mistress of the early Church; she has been granted the name of Queen of Martyrs, by reason of the opportunities that she gave them for shedding their blood and the courage she instilled in them to suffer even unto death; she is the Queen of Confessors in consequence of the patient forbearance she obtains for them, and the glorious way she honours their confession in practice; and she not only bears the title Queen of Virgins but its very effects are within her, and she invites them to follow her example while she watches over their chastity with a very special care.

 4   The Angel who was teaching the Blessed St Bridget told her one day it was not without reason that, after the Saviour had ascended into Heaven, the most sacred Virgin was preserved so as to remain alive for a period time in the world. The status and privileges she enjoyed meant that she had to spend some time in her role as Queen of the Apostles, Consolatrix of Martyrs, Mistress[1] of Confessors, Mirror of Virgins, Help of Widows, and Counsel of Married women: in short, as a common refuge for the entire Church, and the pillar and ground of the faith.

During the whole of the time she survived after the Ascension of her Son, said this Angel, she made a particular point of revealing to the Holy Apostles certain of the mysteries of the Incarnation, and of the Saviour's infancy and adolescence up to His coming of age. She gave encouragement to the Holy Martyrs, recalling the example that her Son had left for them, and describing how she herself had suffered with Him for the space of thirty-three years. The Holy Confessors learned from her the way they were to persevere in their abstinence, their prayers, their retreats and in their spiritual life. The Virgins were taught how to love silence, to keep the house, to be lovers of piety, and to flee from both idleness and vanity. As for the Widows, she consoled them with her tender words and even more through the example of the incredible patience she showed, not only throughout the suffering and death of her Son, but also in the opposition, the scorn and the other trials that she had to suffer.

In this we can see her as a loving Mother who carefully provides her babes and sucklings with all the things they need. So too we can say of her in all truth what is written of the valiant woman in the last chapter of the book of Proverbs, according to the Septuagint version[2]: that even if her husband is physically absent from the house, he is not anxious about what happens there, forasmuch as he understands full well that his most wise and loving Spouse will be taking good care of it and that she would not allow her servants to be wanting for anything. It is in this way that several of the Holy Fathers have understood what is written in the Gospel[3] about the Bridegroom tarrying – which they understand as referring to the time that has to elapse between the Ascension and the final judgement. During this period, His Spouse most chaste and solicitous will rule the house with a Providence altogether remarkable and with incomparable gentleness. It is truly a source of extreme happiness for the Church to have a Queen and Mother who is so wise and so tender-hearted. I trust that we shall now appreciate this better now as a result of our discussion.

Footnotes

[1] Mistress : Here perhaps in the sense of a female patron or inspirer… or a female teacher; a woman qualified to teach, or particularly accomplished in some subject.(OED)

[2] See Proverbs xxix (Septuagint).

[3] Matt. xxv. 5.

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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.

© Peter Bloor 2025

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 7 : § 2.1-2

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She rules and guides the Church

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. The Holy Virgin truly rules and guides the Church

 1   The diligent historian of the Eastern Empire, George Codinus (who is known by some as Curopalates[1], because of his responsibilities within the Imperial Palace), describes a remarkable custom which was kept at the Court of the Emperor of Constantinople.

He says that once the table had been cleared after dinner, two Officers would enter the room whereupon the Emperor would stand on a stool which was held steady by two pages. Then he would dutifully and respectfully carry out the ceremony which I am going to describe. One of the Officers would be carrying wine in a golden cup along with a napkin; the other would have in his hand a golden plate bearing a piece of bread, which they called Panagia[2]. As soon as they appeared before him, they would bow respectfully and the Emperor would himself bow before the mysterious offering. After this, all those present would cry out with one voice: Panagia, panagia! The Officer carrying the plate would then place it in the hands of the Equerry[3] who would pass it on to the Lord Great Chamberlain, who would present it to the Emperor. Once he had reverently taken and eaten the bread and had swallowed a mouthful of wine, he would signal his permission to the Lord Chamberlain (and those accompanying him) to take their leave, wishing them long years of life, in the same way as they had for him

Various researchers have tried to find the origin of this custom and it seems to me that a modern writer[4] has had the good fortune to discover it in a work called L’Horloge des Grecs[5]. There it is written that the tradition dates from the Apostles

who after the death of the Saviour, whether eating together or alone, would always leave the place of honour empty but supplied with a pillow and a place setting, out of respect for the memory of their beloved Master, with whom they had drunk and eaten so many times. At the end of the meal, after the breaking and distribution of the bread, they would chant the following words: Glory be to Thee, O God, glory to the Father, glory to the Son, and glory to the Holy Ghost. Great is the name of the most Holy Trinity. Lord Jesus, come unto our aid. From Easter until Pentecost, however, instead of the words: Great is the name of the most Holy Trinity, they would say[6]: The Lord has risen.

Now it came to pass that all the Apostles journeyed to Jerusalem in order to be present for the funeral and procession of the glorious Virgin, their beloved Mother. On the third day after her death, having returned from Gethsemane, they were taking their meal at table together when, just as they had begun the ceremony, the Holy Virgin appeared above them, surrounded in light and glory. This caused them no less joy than astonishment, so that instead of chanting the words which would follow their customary thanksgiving, they all cried out with one voice: Panagia Deipara, adjuva nos: meaning, All holy Mother of God, come unto our aid; to which she replied, her face filled with gentleness and majesty : I am with you forever.

Most Holy Lady, with our hands joined in prayer and an open heart, we receive these thy auspicious words and we look forward in the hope of gathering fruits of wondrous sweetness from thy pleasing promise.

Footnotes

[1] Curopalates : Greek: κουροπαλάτης, from Latin: cura palatii, Byzantine official "in charge of the palace." Codinus is believed to have been active towards the end of the 15th century.

[2] Panagia : from Παναγία, the All-Holy, the Virgin Mary; holy bread (in the Eastern Church). See DMLBS.

[3] Equerry (in Fr. Écuyer): officer of the royal household, charged with the duty of occasional attendance on the sovereign.

[4] Gretser, Comment. in Codinum, c. 2. [Jacob Gretser S.J. (1562-1625) produced a version of Codinus. See footnote 5 below]. 

[5] Lit. The Clock (or “measuring the hours”) of the Greeks. Enquiries have so far failed to trace this work. A possible starting point for readers proficient in Greek and Latin may be : De officialibus palatii cpolitani et de officiis magnae ecclesiae liber, by Codinus, George, with a proemium by Jacob Gretser.

[6] Christus resurrexit (Christ has risen).

 2    Having been crowned on high Queen of Heaven and Earth, and recognised as Lady and Mistress[1] over the whole of her Son’s Kingdom, it was in truth most fitting that the Holy Virgin should have brought this good news in person to the Holy Apostles before everyone else; especially since her most venerable Son had Himself granted them the very same favour. The Evangelist St Matthew bears witness as follows[2] to the kind heart of the Saviour who, just before He ascended into Heaven, reassured them that all power in Heaven and in earth had given to Him by His Father, and promising them that He would be with them and their successors all days, even to the consummation of the world. 

In this I discern a great consolation for the children of the MOTHER OF GOD in particular and for the whole Church in general : namely, that she should have chosen to make use of the same words as her Son, and with the same meaning, promising them her help and assistance until the end of the world. She could not have done otherwise because her Son’s kingdom is her own, and they share the same subjects and the same power, even though this belongs to the Son by right of generation and to the Mother by virtue of her Son. This difference must always be recognised and yet it is nevertheless the will of the King of glory for His Mother to share absolute sovereignty over His Kingdom and over His subjects, that she should have the nomination of all its Officers, that she should watch over their behaviour and the way they carry out their duties, that she should be authorised to sign off graces and favours, to be responsible for laws and ordinances – in short : that she should as Queen and Ruler co-regnant with Him share in all His royal functions. These are the reasons which persuaded me to write that she truly rules and guides the Church, which is no less than the spiritual kingdom of the Saviour.

Footnotes

[1] Mistress: The female head of a family, household ... in conjunction with a male counterpart; e.g., (1413) She bare hyr seluen boldely, right as she were maystresse, and hadde alle the gouernement of the kyng, and his houshold. G. Deguileville, Pilgrimage of Soul.

[2] Matt. xxviii. 16-20.

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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.

© Peter Bloor 2025

Part II : The Crown of Power : Chapter 7 : § 1.6-11

Chapter 7 : The Sixth Star or Splendour of the Crown of Power of the MOTHER OF GOD

She rules and guides the Church

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)

§ 1. Spiritual King and Head of the Church : second title of the Saviour of our souls

The Height of the Temple

 6   The fifth feature is the Height of the Temple, for it was built on the summit of two high hills and that is why strangers called the God of Israel the God of the hills[1]. When the Prophet Isaiah, is contemplating the Catholic Church[2], however, He sees her located on a mountain so high that her lower slopes are higher the highest hills – showing how far she is exalted over the Synagogue, and over anything that has ever been known for its greatness or its height.

Footnotes

[1] III Book of Kings (1 Kings) xx. 28.

[2] And in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be prepared on the top of mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. Isaiah ii. 2.

 

The Beauty of the Temple

 7   The sixth feature is its incomparable Beauty, whether considered from the outside or from within. This beauty was such as to make David sigh unceasingly for Holy Sion and all his happiness[1] was to contemplate the delightful vision of the House of God. I call it incomparable with regard to everything except that beautiful city built of gold and precious stones which St John saw[2] coming out of Heaven down to Earth; for when we come to this city, we are forced to concede that the beautiful Temple was but a prefiguration, losing its lustre and becoming almost as nothing when compared with this wonder of beauty.

Footnotes

[1] For the house which I desire to build, is great: for our God is great above all gods. II Paralipomenon (II Chronicles) ii. 5.

[2] Come, and I will shew thee the bride, the wife of the Lamb.  10 And he took me up in spirit to a great and high mountain: and he shewed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God. Apoc. xxi. 9-10 et seq.

The Riches of the Temple

 8   The seventh feature concerns the Riches which could never be imagined by anyone who has not read and weighed what is said at various places in the Sacred Scriptures. I crave your patience, however, for we shall soon discover[1] that Solomon’s gold and silver were nothing in comparison with the inexhaustible treasures of the Messiah’s spiritual kingdom.

Footnotes

[1] Chap. 10.

The Holiness of the Temple

 9   The eighth feature is its Holiness, by reason of which it is called the Holy of Holies. This name is applied not only to the Temple itself but also to the surrounding vicinity, as is explained by the Prophet Ezekiel[1]. We should note, however, that just as there is a proportion between a type and the truth it prefigures, between darkness and light, between earth and heaven, just so is there a proportion between this old Temple and the Church of God, which is a thousand times holy in the person of Him who founded it, in its Sacraments, and especially in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar, in its Ministers, in its liturgy and traditions, and in the whole Christian people – for it is the Mystical Body of the Lord.

Footnotes

[1] All its border round about is most holy: Ezech. xliii.12. The Vulgate text here has an explicit reference to the Holy of Holies : omnis finis ejus in circuitu, Sanctum sanctorum est.

The Glory of the Temple

 10   The last feature is its Glory and Renown which had spread so widely that even the Pagans, who in everything else had a very low opinion of the Jewish people, regarded this as the most wonderful building in the world. Let us listen to the Prophet Isaiah[1] who promises the new people of God that it will be the honour and wonder of ages to come; and to the prophet Aggeus[2], who proclaims that the glory of the second house, which is the Church, will be very different to that of the first, being dedicated entirely to the honour and glory of the great King Jesus, the Prince of this spiritual Realm which was established for the eternal happiness of the elect.

[1] I will make thee to be an everlasting glory, a joy unto generation and generation. Isaiah lx. 15.

[2] Who is left among you, that saw this house in its first glory? and how do you see it now? is it not in comparison to that as nothing in your eyes? Aggeus: ii. 4.

 11   The only aim of the above discussion was to explain briefly the nature of this Kingdom of which the peerless Spouse is Queen. Now it is time to consider the honour that she receives therefrom and the power that she is privileged to exercise therein, to the immense benefit of all the subjects of the Prince of Heaven and His Queen Consort. We shall be exploring this in the remainder of the Chapter.

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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.

© Peter Bloor 2025