Celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary With the Oblate Community

The feast of the Holy Name of Mary honors the Virgin Mary and marks the very mention of her name as holy and deserving of respect and devotion. It falls each year on September 12th, four days after the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Mother. The feast day is observed as an optional memorial in the Roman Catholic Church, meaning Mass attendance isn’t required, but it’s still widely celebrated with devotion.

At a glance

• Feast day: September 12
• Origin: Established in Spain in 1513; extended to the universal Church in 1683
• Why it matters to the Oblates: All Oblates renew their vows on this day each year

For those of you who are familiar with the Oblates and our spirituality, it will come as no surprise that all Oblates are called to renew their vows on this special feast day. 

What Does the Name “Mary” Mean?

Mary’s name carries centuries of meaning. As Venerable Bruno Lanteri, founder of the Oblates of the Virgin Mary, reflected on it:

“As for Mary’s name, it means Mare — sea. Mare Amarum — sea of bitterness. Stella Maris — star of the sea. Illuminatrix — illuminator. Domina — lady.” 

He explained that just as all rivers flow into the sea, all the graces given to the angels and patriarchs are found in Mary. She is also mare amarum, a sea of bitterness, because her heart was pierced with anguish at the Passion of her Son.

You can read more of Lanteri’s reflection on the meaning of Mary’s name on our St. Francis Chapel devotional page.

What Is the Feast of the Holy Name of Mary?

The Holy Name of Mary feast day honors Mary, the Mother of God, as blessed. The feast day encourages us all to pray for her intercession, to deepen our love of Christ, and to grow in our relationship with the Lord.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, the feast venerates the name of Mary because it belongs to the Mother of God, the holiest of creatures and the Queen of heaven and earth. It commemorates all the privileges given to her by God and all the graces we receive through her intercession.

History of the Feast

The Holy Name of Mary originated in Spain in the sixteenth century, first celebrated locally in 1513. In 1683, Pope Innocent XI extended the feast to the universal Church and assigned it the September 12th date, commemorating the Christian victory at the Battle of Vienna the year before. Christian forces had prayed for Mary’s intercession throughout the long campaign before achieving that victory.

The feast was removed from the liturgical calendar during the reforms following Vatican II, then restored by Pope John Paul II in 2002 as an optional memorial.

How to Celebrate the Holy Name of Mary

There is no better way to celebrate the Holy Name of Mary than by attending Mass. To honor Mary on this feast day, you might also consider:

• Praying and reflecting on the Hail Mary
• Praying one or more of these prayers for Mary’s intercession
• Praying and reflecting on the Rosary
• Using the Ven. Bruno Lanteri Prayer Booklet for your prayers

Importance to the Oblate Communities

The Oblates of the Virgin Mary have a special connection with Mary and pray often for her intercession. Venerable Bruno Lanteri, who founded the Oblates, said, “the Congregation of the Oblates is not my work, but the work of Mary Most Holy… She is its foundress, its mother, and its teacher.” The devotion of the Oblates is also expressed through our motto: “Think of Mary; call out to Mary.”

You can read more about the connection between the Oblates and the Virgin Mary in the book, Men of Mercy, Sons of Mary: The Lanterian Way by Dr. Cabrini Pak.

“I have known almost no other mother than Mary most holy, and throughout my life I have received nothing but caresses from such a good Mother.”

Venerable Bruno Lanteri

Renewal of Vows

Each year, the Oblates of the Virgin Mary celebrate the feast of the Holy Name of Mary by renewing their vows and dedication to Our Lord and Our Lady.

“In his life of consecration an Oblate should remember that, just as God continuously calls him to the intimacy of love, equally constant must be his generous and faithful response. He should therefore frequently examine his fidelity in collaborating with God who works within him. In this spirit it is convenient to renew the consecration even with the whole community in the celebration of the solemnity of the Most Holy Name of Mary, September 12. On the same day they also renew with the whole community their act of entrustment to Our Lady.”

Norm 12.1 of our Rule

Each September 12th, our community renews its vows and its act of entrustment to Our Lady during a live-streamed Mass at St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine. This year’s celebration will be special.

With great joy and gratitude to almighty God, we are excited to announce the Profession of Perpetual Vows of Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience by our brothers, Br. Christopher Puglia, OMV and Br. Miguel Roque, OMV. The ceremony will take place on September, 12, 2026, at 11 a.m. ET at St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine in Boston and will be livestreamed for our whole community.

We invite you to join us in prayer as we celebrate.

A Story From Father Mark, OMV

Before making their final vows, Oblate seminarians typically make temporary vows one year at a time while they are studying in the seminary, renewing them each year on the feast of the Holy Name of Mary. However, it was often more convenient for the seminarians’ academic schedules to celebrate their first profession of vows in August. This meant that the following year there would be a few weeks when they would be without vows ahead of the big Holy Name of Mary celebration.

Father Mark shared an interesting story of renewing his vows as a seminarian:

“I made my first profession of vows on August 22, the memorial of the Queenship of Mary. This meant that one year later on August 22, I had to renew my vows for 21 days to get me through to September 12, on which date I would renew my vows for a year at a time thereafter.

We needed two Oblates to witness the renewal of my vows for this brief period, and so we grabbed the closest two Oblates we could find and brought them up to the Church. They happened to be the Rector Major, who was in charge of all the Oblates in the world and who happened to be visiting our community at the time, and the Provincial, who was in charge of all the Oblates in the United States. My sister was also visiting at the time, together with the foundress of her religious community, and they asked if they could come too.

As I began to recite my vows, I was struck by the incongruity of it all—being in that beautiful Church in the presence of the Rector Major, the Provincial, the foundress of a women’s religious community and a family member vowing poverty, chastity, and obedience — for 21 days!

Thankfully, a norm has since been added to our Rule that allows us to make our first profession of vows from the current date until the feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary the following year, thus avoiding this situation in the future.”