The Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

+ The Feast of the Visitation recalls the journey made by the Blessed Virgin to see her relative, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with Saint John the Baptist.

+ This feast dates back to the 6^th century and was formerly celebrated on July 2. In 1969, it was moved to today’s date so that it can be celebrated between the Solemnity of the Annunciation (on March 25) and the Solemnity of the birth of Saint John the Baptist (on June 24).

+ This feast invites us to always be open to the workings of the Holy Spirit and we have Mary as our model of humility, obedience, and service.

For prayer and reflection

“Let Mary’s soul be in each of you to proclaim the greatness of the Lord. Let her spirit be in each to rejoice in the Lord.”—Saint Ambrose of Milan

Vocations

To learn about an apostolic community dedicated to the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin, visit:

The Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate: www.parishvisitorsisters.org/

To learn about the various communities of the Visitation Order in the United States, visit the following links:

Monastery of the Visitation (Toledo, OH): www.toledovisitation.org

Visitation Monastery (Mobile, AL): www.VisitationMonasteryMobile.org

Visitation Monastery (Minneapolis, MN): www.visitationmonasteryminneapolis.org

Visitation Monastery (Brooklyn, NY): www.brooklynvisitationmonastery.org

Monastery of the Visitation (Washington, DC): www.gvmonastery.org

Visitation Nuns (Rockville, VA): www.visitmontemaria.com

Spiritual bonus

On May 31 we also remember the Franciscan lay brother Blessed Mariano of Roccacasale. Born into a poor family in the L’Aquila region of Italy, he worked as a shepherd during the early years of his life. He entered the Franciscans in 1802 and spent the rest of his life serving in various parishes positions within his friary, including more than 50 years as porter, helping the poor and offering aid to pilgrims. Known for his devotion to Our Lady and his spirit of prayer, he died on May 31, 1866, in Rome and was beatified in 1999.

Prayer

Almighty ever-living God,
who, while the Blessed Virgin Mary was carrying your Son in her womb,
inspired her to visit Elizabeth,
grant us, we pray,
that, faithful to the promptings of the Spirit,
we may magnify your greatness
with the Virgin Mary at all times.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.