11/09/2025
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The Feast and the Devotion to the Dulce Nombre de Maria (Sweet name of Mary) honors the "Most Holy Name of Mary" and originated in Spain in the 16th century before being extended to the universal Church by Pope Innocent XI in 1683, who established the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary on September 12. This date commemorates the Christian victory in the Battle of Vienna against the Ottoman Turks in 1683. The observance was restored to the universal Roman Rite in 2002 by Pope John Paul II. The devotion also has strong historical roots in Guam, where Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores together with San Pedro Calungsod established a parish in honor of the Blessed Mother in 1669, which grew to become the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica.
San Pedro Calungsod's devotion to the Sweet Name of Mary reflects his deep faith and love for the Blessed Virgin Mary. As a young catechist and missionary, he likely had a strong devotion to Mary and sought her guidance, maternal care and protection in his work and may have been a source of comfort, strength, and inspiration especially in his efforts to spread the Gospel and bring people closer to God, especially in the face of challenges and dangers that came with being a missionary. His faith and devotion serve as an inspiration to many, and his legacy continues to be celebrated and honored in the Catholic Church.
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by St. Alphonsus de Ligouri
O great Mother of God and my Mother Mary, it is true that I am unworthy to name thee; but thou, who lovest me and desirest my salvation, must, notwithstanding the impurity of my tongue, grant that I may always invoke thy most holy and powerful name in my aid, for thy name is the succor of the living, and the salvation of the dying. Ah, most pure Mary, most sweet Mary, grant that henceforth thy name may be the breath of my life. O Lady, delay not to help me when I invoke thee, for in all the temptations which assail me, and in all my wants, I will never cease calling upon thee, and repeating again and again, Mary, Mary. Thus it is that I hope to act during my life, and more particularly at death, that after that last struggle I may eternally praise thy beloved name in heaven, O clement, O pious, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Ah, Mary, most amiable Mary, with what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what tenderness, is my soul penetrated in only naming, in only thinking of thee! I thank my Lord and God, who, for my good, has given thee a name so sweet and deserving of love, and at the same time so powerful. But, my sovereign Lady, I am not satisfied with only naming thee, I wish to name thee with love: I desire that my love may every hour remind me to call on thee, so that I may be able to exclaim with St. Bonaventure, "O name of the Mother of God, thou art my love." My own dear Mary, O my beloved Jesus, may your most sweet names reign in my heart, and in all hearts. Grant that I may forget all others to remember, and always invoke, your adorable names alone. Ah! Jesus my Redeemer, and my Mother Mary, when the moment of death comes when I must breathe forth my soul and leave this worid, deign, through your merits, to grant that I may then pronounce my last words, and that they may be, "I love thee, O Jesus; I love thee, O Mary; to you do I give my heart and my soul". Amen.
