The Feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary is anoptional memorial celebrated in the liturgical calendar of theCatholic Church on 12 September. It has been a universalRoman Rite feast since 1684, whenPope Innocent XI included it in theGeneral Roman Calendar to commemorate the victory at theBattle of Vienna in 1683.^[1] It was initially removed from thecurrent Church calendar in the liturgical reform followingVatican II, but it was restored byPope John Paul II in 2002 along with theFeast of the Holy Name of Jesus in January.

Within theEastern Orthodox Church, the feast is celebrated on 7 September in theAntiochian Western Rite Vicariate.^[2]

InHebrew, the name Mary is "Mīryam". InAramaic, the language spoken in her own time, the form of the name was "Maryām". Based on the root "merur", the name signifies "bitterness".^[3] This is reflected in the words ofNaomi, who, after losing a husband and two sons lamented, "Do not call me Naomi (‘Sweet’). Call me Mara (‘Bitter’), for the Almighty has made my life very bitter."^[4]

Meanings ascribed to Mary's name by the early Christian writers and perpetuated by theGreek Fathers include: "Bitter Sea," "Myrrh of the Sea", "The Enlightened One," "The Light Giver," and especially "Star of the Sea" (fromStella Maris, a scribal error ofStilla Maris, "Drop of the Sea"),Stella Maris was by far the favored interpretation.Jerome suggested the name meant "Lady", based on the Aramaic "mar" meaning "Lord". In the book,The Wondrous Childhood of the Most Holy Mother of God, St.John Eudes offers meditations on seventeen interpretations of the name "Mary," taken from the writings of "the Holy Fathers and by some celebratedDoctors".^[5] The name of Mary is venerated because it belongs to theMother of God.^[6]

Mary's name occurs in the first and second parts of theHail Mary.

At Rome, one of the twin churches at the Forum of Trajan is dedicated to the Name of Mary (Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano).^[6]

Promoters of veneration of the Holy Name of Mary include SaintsAnthony of Padua,Bernard of Clairvaux, andAlphonsus Maria de Liguori. A number of religious orders such as theCistercians and theServites, customarily give each member "Mary" as part of his/herreligious name as a sign of honor and of entrustment to the Virgin.^[7]

The feast is a counterpart to the Feast of the Holy Name of Jesus (January 3).^[8] Its object is to commemorate all the privileges bestowed upon Mary by God and all the graces received through herintercession and mediation.^[3]

The entry in theRoman Martyrology about the feast speaks of it in the following terms:

The Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a day on which the inexpressible love of the Mother of God for her Holy Child is recalled, and the eyes of the faithful are directed to the figure of the Mother of the Redeemer, for them to invoke with devotion.^[9]

The feast day began in 1513 as a local celebration inCuenca, Spain, celebrated on 15 September.^[10] In 1587Pope Sixtus V moved the celebration to 17 September.Pope Gregory XV extended the celebration to theArchdiocese of Toledo in 1622.^[6] In 1666 theDiscalced Carmelites received permission to recite theDivine Office of the Name of Mary four times a year. In 1671 the feast was extended to the wholeKingdom of Spain. From there, the feast spread, and soon extended to theKingdom of Naples.^[3]

In 1683, the Polish kingJohn Sobieski arrived at Vienna with his army. Before theBattle of Vienna, Sobieski placed his troops under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In the following year, to celebrate the victory,Pope Innocent XI added the feast to the Roman calendar, assigning to it the Sunday within theoctave of theNativity of Mary.^[11]

The reform ofPope Pius X in 1911 restored to prominence the celebration of Sundays in their own right, avoiding their being often replaced by celebrations from thesanctoral. The celebration of the Holy Name of Mary was therefore moved to 12 September.^[12] Later in the same century, the feast was removed from theGeneral Roman Calendar in 1969 as part of its reform byPope Paul VI, as something of a duplication of the 8 September feast of theNativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary,^[13] but it did not cease to be a recognized celebration of theRoman Rite, being mentioned in theRoman Martyrology on 12 September. In 2002Pope John Paul II restored the celebration to the General Roman Calendar.^[1]

BlessedWilliam Joseph Chaminade chose the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary as thepatronal feast of theSociety of Mary (Marianists), rather than a day commemorating a particular dogma or devotion in order to focus on the person of Mary.^[14] For similar reasons, the similarly named but unrelatedSociety of Mary (Marists), was to adopt the same patronal feast.

A number of parishes and schools worldwide are dedicated to the Holy Name of Mary.

TheDulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral Basilica inHagåtña,Guam, is theepiscopal see of theArchbishop of Agaña.

• Ave Maris Stella

• Bernard of Clairvaux, Homily on the Holy Name of Mary
• Liguori, Alphonsus. "The Holy Name of Mary - The Power of Her Name"

• Catholic holy days
• Marian devotions
• Titles of Mary, mother of Jesus
• September observances
• Catholic liturgy

• Articles with short description
• Short description matches Wikidata