An initiative of the Mary of Nazareth Association September 12 – Holy Name of Mary (following the liberation of Vienna from the Turks in 1683) The liberation of Vienna and the salvation of Christendom The feast of the Holy Name of Mary was first granted to the city of Cuenca, Spain, in 1513 and was later established in Rome in 1683 by Pope Innocent XI, in thanksgiving for the liberation of Vienna, the capital of Austria-Hungary, on September 12, 1683. Since July 14, 1683, the Turkish army had been blocking Vienna. Because the Emperor of Hungary had deserted his city, Pope Innocent XI wanted to form a Catholic League against the Turks, but he could only count on the alliance of John III Sobieski, king of Poland. On Sunday, September 12, 1683, Sobieski served Mass, received Communion and then took the head of the coalition himself. As he launched the attack, his cry was: “Today, the liberation of Vienna, the preservation of Poland, and the salvation of Christendom is at stake!” (Wikipedia) The Ottomans were defeated. In Vienna, Sobieski and his army knelt and prayed by the statue of Our Lady, singing the Te Deum. On November 25th, the Pope instituted the feast of the Holy Name of Mary in Rome and then in 1721, this feast was extended to the whole Church. It disappeared during the 1969 reform of the calendar, was replaced by a votive Mass, and then ratified by Pope Saint John Paul II in his Masses in honor of the Virgin Mary, published in Rome on August 15, 1986. missel.free.fr www.mariedenazareth.com Let’s pray together Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of death. Amen.