Compendium of the 1961 Revision of the Pontificale Romanum - Part 11: The Blessing of an Image of the Virgin Mary (1595 & 1961)

In the Pontifical of 1595, the bishop wears a white cope and simple miter for the solemn blessing of an image of the Virgin Mary, which begins as usual with “Adjutorium nostrum” and “Dominus vobiscum”, followed by the collect of the Annunciation.

Let us pray. O God, Who didst will that Thy Word should, by the message of an Angel, take flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, grant unto us, we beseech Thee, that all we who do believe her to be truly the Mother of God, may be helped by her intercession before Thee. Through the same Christ our Lord. R. Amen.

The bishop sprinkles the image with holy water, and then intones the following antiphon; while it is being sung the choir, he incenses the statue three times. (As my colleague Henri has written, this antiphon is the oldest prayer to the Virgin Mary in existence. In the Roman Rite, it was traditionally sung as the antiphon of the Nunc dimittis at Compline in the Little Office of the Virgin.)

Ant. Under thy protection we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our needs, but deliver us always from all dangers, glorious and Blessed Virgin.

The antiphon is sung with Psalm 86 Fundamenta ejus, the sixth of Matins of the Virgin; in Eastertide, the antiphon is substituted by another, which is simply the words “Alleluia, alleluia.” There follows a second antiphon, the second of Lauds of the Annunciation, which is sung with Psalm 122 Ad te levavi.

Ant. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou among women, alleluia.

The bishop says the following prayer, the collect of the vigil of the Assumption.

Let us pray. O God, Who deigned to choose for Thy dwelling-place the virginal palace of the Blessed Mary, grant, we beseech thee, that Thou may shield us by her protection, and make us glad in her commemoration. Who livest and reignest etc.

He then intones another antiphon, which is finished by the choir, and sung with the Canticle of the Virgin Mary, the Magnificat. (This antiphon is not in the Roman Breviary, but is found in many other Uses; the Dominicans sing it as the antiphon of the Benedictus in their version of the Little Office.)

Ant. O glorious Mother of God, ever Virgin Mary, who didst merit to bear the Lord of all, and alone of all virgins suckle the King of Angels, kindly remember us, we beseech thee, and pray for us to the Lord Jesus Christ; that we, supported by thy patronage, may merit to come to the kingdom of heaven.

The bishop then says two prayers; the first is a repetition of the collect of the Annunciation noted above, the second is as follows. At the places marked with crosses, he makes the sign of the Cross over the image with his hand.

Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, by Whose most clement dispensation all things are created from nothing; deign Thou to bless + and sancti + fy this image venerably fashioned unto the honor of the most holy Mother of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; and grant, most merciful Father, through the invocation of Thy name, and that of the same Thy Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom Thou didst will to become incarnate for the salvation of the human race, while preserving the integrity of the Virgin Mary, that by the prayers of the same most holy Virgin, all who shall strive to honor the same Queen of mercy and our most gracious Lady before this image, may be delivered from impending danger, and in the sight of Thy divine majesty receive forgiveness of their sins, whether of commission or omission; and merit in the present life the grace which they wish to obtain: and in the future, be able to rejoice with Thy elect in perpetual salvation. Through the same our Lord etc. (long conclusion)

Finally, he sprinkles the image with holy water again.

In the revision of 1961, the bishop wears a white cope and the “auryphrigiata” miter, rather than the simple miter. The blessing begins as usual with “Adjutorium nostrum” and “Dominus vobiscum”, and the following prayer. The words noted here in italics are omitted from the previous version in the Pontifical of Clement VIII.

Let us pray. Almighty and eternal God, by Whose most clement dispensation all things are created from nothing; deign Thou to bless + and sancti + fy this image venerably fashioned unto the honor of the most holy Mother of Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ; and grant, most merciful Father, through the invocation of Thy name, and that of the same Thy Only-begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, whom Thou didst will to take on the flesh for the salvation of the human race, while preserving the integrity of the Virgin Mary, that by the prayers of the same most holy Virgin, all who shall strive to honor the same Queen of mercy and our most gracious Lady before this image, may be delivered from impending danger, and in the sight of Thy divine majesty receive forgiveness of the sins they have committed, (whether of commission or omission;) and merit in the present life the grace which they wish to obtain: and in the future, be able to rejoice with Thy elect in perpetual salvation. Through the same our Christ Lord. R. Amen. (short conclusion)

The words “take on the flesh” noted in bold represent the change of “incarnari” in the previous version to “carnem assumere” in Latin; the word “image” noted in bold is changed in Latin from “effigie” to “imagine”, but means the same thing. The words noted in parentheses are in Latin “de commissis et omissis” in the 1595 version, which is changed to simply “de commissis”.

The bishop sprinkles the image with holy water, and then places incense in the thurible and incenses it. The Magnificat or “a popular song” is sung as he does this. All the other prayers and chants noted above in the Pontifical of Clement VIII are suppressed. 

The fragmentary papyrus, dated to about 250 A.D., which contains the earliest version of Sub tuum praesidium. It was discovered in Egypt, and is now kept at the John Rylands Library at the Univ. of Manchester, England. (Rylands Greek Papyrus 470)