When St. Bernard of Clairvaux voiced his famous Marian motto, “De Maria numquam satis,” that is, “About Mary you can never say enough,” he was not being hyperbolic but rather emphatic about the true glories of the Mother of God. While the British analytical philosopher may take exception, St. Bernard’s point is that, within the limits of creaturehood and an immaculate humanity, the sublime prerogatives of the ever-Virgin Mary simply go on and on in a seemingly endless list of honors and titles. Surely, if St. Bernard, St. Louis de Montfort, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and St. John Paul II were at table together in heaven enjoying a celestial cappuccino, their only mutual regret would not be that they said “too much” about Mary during their earthly sojourn, but that they didn’t say more about the celestial Queen they now venerate face to face.
Since it is near impossible to convey the plenitude of Marian attributes, to capture the “full Mary” in human expression, one fruitful method towards this noble goal is to list and expound upon her many traditional titles and devotions. While no single title can capture the essence of the Mother, identifying and articulating her multiform titles helps to reveal the complete tapestry of the Immaculate Mediatrix of each and every grace, hence the great rhyme and reason for Crowned with Grace.
Each Marian title historically ascribed to Our Lady refers to a virtue of Mary, a type of Mary, a role of Mary, or devotion to Mary. Since her virtues, quintessentially worthy of our imitation and love, are as numerous as her repeated good acts, this category alone stands without limit. Her types are usually taken from Scripture and indicate a biblical foreshadowing of who the Mother of Jesus would be in perfect service to her Son. Mary’s titles often indicate expressions of her actual maternal roles and functions on behalf of her earthly children.
