Dr. Helen Titilola OLOJEDE

For some months now, we have been focusing on what each month in the history of the Church is dedicated to. Can you recall what was for July? June? May? Etc? What’s for August? August is the month traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

 

In Catholic tradition, the Church dedicates the month of August to honouring the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This devotion centres on Mary’s deep love for God, her purity of heart, and her constant maternal concern for humanity. The image of her heart symbolises her inner life, her joys, sorrows, virtues, and her perfect union with the will of God.

 

How did the devotion come about? In 1942, amid the turmoil of war, Pope Pius XII consecrated the world to Mary’s Immaculate Heart; two years later he set a new feast of the Immaculate Heart on 22nd August, the octave day of the Assumption. A later reform (1969) moved the feast to the Saturday after the Sacred Heart, placing it liturgically in June; the Queenship of Mary now falls on 22nd August, preserving a Marian focus in the month even as the specific memorial shifted.

 

The formal recognition of this devotion came during a time of global upheaval. In 1944, as the Second World War raged, Pope Pius XII consecrated the world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and established a feast in its honour on 22nd August, placing it within the octave of the Feast of the Assumption. Later reforms moved the feast to the Saturday following the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, but August has continued to hold this Marian focus.

 

Throughout this month, several feasts highlight Mary’s role in salvation history. On 5th August, the Church celebrates the Dedication of the Basilica of St Mary Major, one of the great Marian churches of Rome. The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 15th August honours her being taken body and soul into heaven. And on 22nd August, Catholics celebrate the Queenship of Mary, recognising her exalted place beside her Son.

 

The devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary is rooted in traditions and the scriptures. Saint Luke twice points us to Mary’s heart, she “kept” and “pondered” God’s actions, while the Magnificat reveals the interior life that fuels her praise. Mary’s Heart signifies her whole person: the centre of memory, love, will, and singular dedication to the saving work of her Son.

 

This month-long dedication invites us to deepen our devotion by imitating Mary’s virtues, entrusting ourselves to her care, and seeking her intercession in our spiritual lives.