The Virgin Mary in the Hymns of the Catholic Church

Abstract

This study presents images of the Virgin Mary as found in the hymns of the Catholic Church—from the patristic to the post-Vatican II period. Marian hymns flourished in the Middle Ages, but after the Council of Trent (1545–1563), the Catholic liturgy contained, with few exceptions, only the Scriptural and euchological texts in Latin. The vernacular congregational hymn contributed to the flourishing of Marian devotion apart from the official liturgy. Vatican II integrated the Virgin Mary into the ‘Mystery of Christ’ celebrated in the liturgy and presented a Scriptural and ecclesial image of Mary. Suggestions are given for Marian hymns and for their place within the liturgy.