Our Lady of Peace
History
Our Lady of Peace, Mother of Peace, Queen of Peace or Our Lady Queen of Peace is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Roman Catholic Church. She is represented in art holding a dove and an olive branch, symbols of peace.
The traditional story holds that in the early 1500s in France, a certain Jean de Joyeuse presented the statue as a wedding gift to his young bride, Françoise e Voisins. The statue was known as the “Virgin of Joyeuse”, and became a cherished family heirloom.
Around the year 1588, Jean’s grandson, Henri Joyeuse, joined the Capuchin Franciscans in Paris and brought the statue with him, where it remained for many years. With the olive branch in her hand and the Prince of Peace on her arm, the statue was called Our Lady of Peace. In 1657 the Capuchin community erected a larger chapel to accommodate the growing number of faithful who sought her intercession. On July 9 that year, before a large crowd which included King Louis XIV, the papal nuncio to France blessed and solemnly enthroned the Virgin’s statue. Pope Alexander VII would later designate this date for the Capuchin community to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Peace.
During the French Revolution, which erupted in 1789, the Capuchins were driven from their monastery. They took the image with them to prevent its destruction by the atheistic rebels. When peace was restored in the land, the statue was brought out of hiding and entrusted to Peter Coudrin, a priest in Paris. In 1800, Coudrin and Henriette became co-founders of a community of sisters, brothers and priests — the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and the Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. The congregation was particularly successful in the Kingdom of Hawaii. They consecrated the Hawaiian Islands under the protection of Our Lady of Peace
Our Lady of Peace, is the Patron Saint of El Salvador. In the parish church of St Michael, in the city of San Salvador, there is an ancient statue of the Virgin Mary holding an olive branch which, according to some accounts, was brought there from a shipwreck. In September 1787 the inhabitants of the city attributed to the statue their safety when threatened by a volcanic eruption. The Virgin was also held up as a model of peace among warring factions in the country at the time of the war of independence. The statue was solemnly crowned in November 1921, in the presence of the country’s president.
The original statue of Our Lady of Peace in France, was ceremonially crowned on July 9, 1906 by the Archbishop of Paris in the name of Pope Pius X. Every July 9 since then, the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary have celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Peace. While January 24 is the feast day in Hawaii and in some churches of the United States. During the troubled years of World War I, Pope Benedict XV added Our Lady of Peace to the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Our Lady of Peace Prayers
Our Lady of Peace Prayer
Most holy and immaculate Virgin, Mother of Jesus and our loving Mother, being his Mother, you shared in his universal kingship. The prophets and angels proclaimed him King of peace. With loving fervor in our hearts, we salute and honor you as Queen of peace.
We pray that your intercession may protect us and all people from hated and discord, and direct our hearts into the ways of peace and justice which your Son taught and exemplified. We ask your maternal care for our Holy Father who works to reconcile the nations in peace. We seek your guidance for our President and other leaders as they strive for world peace.
Glorious Queen of peace, grant us peace in our hearts, harmony in our families and concord throughout the world. Immaculate Mother, as patroness of our beloved country, watch over us and protect us with your motherly love. Amen.
Novena to Our Lady of Peace
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Opening Prayer
We come before you, our God, to offer you through the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin, all our desires, hopes, and actions for your greater glory and for the exaltation of Mary our Mother. Deign to accept this offering in adoration, in thanksgiving, and in atonement for our sins. We are deeply sorry for the sins we have committed because you are all good and deserving of our love. We are resolved to confess our sins, to do penance, and to amend our lives. Amen.
Salute to the Blessed Virgin Mary
O most Holy Virgin, chosen by the Most High to be the most pure Mother of Christ, we rejoice at the sublime gift bestowed of you as the bearer of God Incarnate for nine months and as his protectress and comfort from his infancy to his death in calvary.
O Tender Mother, grant us also that particular protection in our lives, especially in time of need. Never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection implored your help or sought your intercession was left unaided. With this confidence, we implore you O Mother of Mercy, to grant us the graces and favors we are asking in this novena through the venerable image, under the title of Our Lady of Peace, we ask that you protect from all harm our loved ones who are working overseas. Extend your mantle of protection to all particularly to our country, so that true peace will reign in our midst. Amen.
(Silently mention the graces and favors asked. Then pray three Hail Mary’s, after which say, Our Lady of Peace, pray for us.)
Or please visit http://www.medjugorje.hr/en/medjugorje-phenomenon/novena/ for another novena from Medjugorje.