Bishop Burbidge Crowns Our Statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary during an Episcopal Coronation Ceremony
During a historic day at the Basilica of Saint Mary yesterday, Dec. 8, 2024, Bishop Michael Burbidge celebrated the 1 p.m. Mass, during which he led an Episcopal Crowning ceremony of the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of the Immaculate Conception, our national and diocesan patron. The crowning ceremony came at the conclusion of our Arlington Diocese Golden Jubilee and on the eve of the Basilica’s 230th anniversary in 2025.
(See the video above to see the entire Mass, which includes the crowning ceremony.)
Crowning images of Our Lady is an ancient tradition that dates to the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD. It is an act of devotion to Our Lady and a recognition of her Queenship over heaven and earth. An Episcopal Coronation means that the image of the Virgin Mary is crowned by the bishop of the diocese in which it is located, and it is a recognition by the bishop of the significance of a particular image of Mary.
The statue of Our Lady is a late 19th-century Italian marble image of the Immaculate Conception, which was installed in our church at the time of the parish centennial in 1895. That is when the church underwent a significant renovation, and when the current stained-glass windows were installed. It is the image of Mary that has the longest history of continuous veneration in the Diocese of Arlington.
The crown on Our Lady is a new substantial crown that was fabricated in Spain, thanks to the generosity of the Catholic Daughters, Court Kavanaugh No. 54, and the Knights of Columbus. The crown incorporates the earlier custom gilded pewter crown with roses.
See video below to see the symbolism and significance of the crown:
At the end of his homily, and just before the Episcopal Coronation ceremony began, Bishop Burbidge said:
“Strengthened with the gift of the Holy Eucharist, which we are about to receive, and though the powerful intercession of Mary our Mother, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, may the prayers of the coronation ceremony that we will soon say be a reality in our lives. These are the words: “May we serve the Lord our God. May we do what love demands. May we deny ourselves and spend ourselves so to win our neighbors to the Lord and be exalted in heaven, where the Lord will reward His servants with the crown of life.’ “
With spotlights from the choir loft beaming what appeared to be heavenly light upon the statues of Saint Joseph and the Blessed Virgin Mary, Seminarian Alex Solsma placed the crown on Our Lady’s head:
After the Mass ended, Father Edward C. Hathaway, the Rector of the Basilica, told a Arlington Catholic Herald journalist (click here to read the article in the diocesan newspaper) the following:
“Our love for the Mother of God needs to be expressed as we see how God exalts the humble. Mary called herself a servant and is exalted higher than the angels. She’s a great model for Christians — to call upon her intercession — but also to be willing to be hidden to let God give us the graces that He wants to bestow upon us. It’s very touching to our hearts, to physically have a crown placed upon this image of Our Lady that’s been prayed upon for 130 years, uniting us throughout the decades that this image has been venerated.”
While a reception was held in the parish’s Lyceum Auditorium, in the church, the crown was permanently affixed to the statue. See the photos below to see how the afternoon unfolded:
