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Not only did St. Francis entrust his three Orders to the
protection of the Holy Mother of God, he also desired that his vast
spiritual progeny look to the Mother of Jesus as the exemplar of all
Gospel virtues.
His
ardent Marian devotion brought forth the prayer that has come down to us
under the title A SALUTATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY (also called The
SALUTE or The PRAISES). Here
we find Franciscan devotion to Our Lady at its deepest, its simplest,
its most theological and most exuberant level – all at the same time!
May
these praises help us in cultivating a devotion to the Mother of Christ
that is deep and true, and that enables us to be daily renewed in our
Gospel ideals by following more faithfully in the footsteps of Christ
Jesus, under the shadow and protection of His Immaculate Mother.
Hail,
holy Lady, most holy Queen,
Mary, holy Mother of God,
who are the Virgin made Church,
chosen by the most Holy Father in heaven
whom He consecrated with His most holy beloved Son
and with the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete,
in whom there was and is all fullness of grace and every good.
Hail, His Palace!
Hail, His Tabernacle!
Hail, His Dwelling!
Hail, His Robe!
Hail, His Handmaid!
Hail, His Mother!
And hail, all You holy virtues
which are poured into the hearts of the faithful
through the grace and enlightenment of the Holy Spirit,
that from being unbelievers,
You may make them faithful to God.
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