Mary Queen Asunta to Heaven

Marian Advocation of Durban (Proclamation) (National)
Recognized by the Church

In 1952, during a Mariano Congress held in Durban (then Natal province, today KwaZulu- Natal) on the occasion of the centenary of the arrival of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Archbishop Martin H. Lucas, Apostolic Delegate for South Africa, proclaimed Mary Queen Asunta to Heaven as Saint Patron of the South African Church. The proclamation stressed that the Catholic history of the country is very marked by the presence of Marian congregations - Oblates, Oblates, Benedictine - so a highly Christological and eschatological title was chosen.

Main data

Origin and history

In 1952, during a Mariano Congress held in Durban (then Natal province, today KwaZulu- Natal) on the occasion of the centenary of the arrival of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Archbishop Martin H. Lucas, Apostolic Delegate for South Africa, proclaimed Mary Queen Asunta to Heaven as Saint Patron of the South African Church. The proclamation stressed that the Catholic history of the country is very marked by the presence of Marian congregations - Oblates, Oblates, Benedictine - so a highly Christological and eschatological title was chosen.

The image and the sanctuary

It is not a specific image or sanctuary, but the Marian patronage that encompasses the entire Catholic Church in South Africa.

Sponsorship and coronation

Patron of the South African Church, title officially proclaimed in 1952. There is no canonical coronation of a specific image.

Party and devotion

Liturgically it is linked to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on August 15; the proclamation of 1952 did not set a different feast of its own. Devotion is fully recognized by the Church.

Link to the Rosary

The Queen asunta to heaven, glorified in body and soul, is the joyful goal that contemplate the last mysteries of the Rosary; under this title the South African Church is entrusted to Mary as Mother and Queen.