September 8 – Our Lady’s Birthday

Today we celebrate the birthday of Our Lady.

Mary's birth has been celebrated by the Church since at least the sixth century. The Church of Jerusalem is said to be the first to honor the memory of the Nativity; Rome began to celebrate her birthday toward the end of the seventh century when Pope Sergius I endowed it with a special procession.

In Milan, Italy, devotion to Mary, known as Maria Bambina (since Vatican II called “Little Immaculate Mary”) can be traced back to 1007, the year in which the church of Santa Maria Fulcorina was dedicated to “the mystery of the Nativity of Mary.” The church became the Cathedral of Milan, and in 1251 Pope Innocent IV granted a plenary indulgence in perpetuity to those who visit the Cathedral on the feast day of Mary’s  nativity. (A new church was built and in 1572 dedicated to the Birth of Mary.) Over the main entrance, in bronze letters, are the words: Mariae Nascenti, meaning to the Infant Mary.

The Mary Garden behind St. Mary’s Church in Annapolis, Maryland, was dedicated on Mary’s birthday in 1988. It is located in the quadrangle formed by the church, the rectory and the historic John Carroll house. More than 60 plants named after Mary are in the garden. They include Virgin’s Bower (clematis), Ave Maria (hydrangea), Her Virginity (crepe myrtle), Our Lady’s Mantle (Alchemilla speciosa), Mary’s Rose (peony and rose), Madonna Lily (Lilium speciosum) and Mary’s Sword (German iris).

A recent video of the Mary Garden, which shows the progress of the garden in recent years, can be found at       https://www.dropbox.com/s/whzqtm89dzyyg79/Second%20STM%20Show80.wmv

Mary, Our Mother, has always been special for me. Mary is my confirmation name and over the years my devotion to her has grown. I pray to her each night with my Rosary. I’m reminded of the “Hail Mary” pass in football when I ask for her help during the day. She has never failed me; her help has come in unexpected ways but it has come.

Mary is honored with several other feast days this month. On September 12 we celebrate the Most Holy Name of Mary; on September 15 we remember the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and on September 24 we honor Our Lady of Ransom.

The story of Our Lady of Ransom is that of Saint Peter Nolasco, born in Languedoc about 1189. He proposed to establish a religious order for the rescue of captives seized by the Moors on the seas and in Spain who were being tortured to make them deny their faith. Our Lady appeared to Saint Peter, his confessor and to King James I on August 1, 1218, and through these men established a plan for the redemption of the captives. Their goal was to rescue the Christian captives, offering themselves, if necessary, as payment.  The order, established in Spain, was approved by Pope Gregory IX under the name of Our Lady of Mercy. In more recent times devotion to Our Lady of Ransom was revived to obtain the rescue of England as Our Lady’s Dowry.

We can honor Mary on her feast day with asters (Aster amellus). The Italian aster is so named because it blooms around the time of the feast of her Nativity.