In honor of this feast of our Blessed Mother, below is a prayer composed by Pope Francis and recited by him last year to mark the feast. I wish you all a happy and grace filled feast day.
Holy and Immaculate Virgin,
to You, who are the honor of our people
and the solicitous custodian of our city,
we turn with confidence and love.
You are the All Beautiful, O Mary!
Sin is not in You.
Awaken in all of us a renewed desire of holiness:
may the splendor of truth shine in our word,
may the song of charity resound in our works,
may purity and chastity inhabit our body and our heart,
may all the beauty of the Gospel be present in our life.
You are the All Beautiful, O Mary!
The Word of God was made flesh in You.
Help us to remain in attentive listening to the voice of the Lord:
may the cry of the poor not leave us indifferent,
may the suffering of the sick and of those in need not find us distracted,
may the loneliness of the elderly and the fragility of children move us,
may every human life be always loved and venerated by us all.
You are the All Beautiful, O Mary!
In You is the full joy of the blessed life with God.
Makes us not lose the meaning of our earthly journey:
may the gentle light of faith illumine our days,
may the consoling strength of hope orientate our steps,
may the infectious warmth of love animate our heart,
may the eyes of all of us remain well fixed there, in God, where true joy is.
You are the All Beautiful, O Mary!
Hear our prayer, answer our supplication:
may the beauty of the merciful love of God in Jesus be in us,
may this divine beauty save us, our city, the whole world.
Amen.
