Prayers to Mary, Patroness of SA

by Letters Editor · August 15, 2013

From Ornella Pasqua, Pretoria

Are we as Church in South Africa praying enough for our country, its people and its future? And who better to inundate with prayers from South Africa than South Africa’s very own patroness, Mary Assumed into Heaven?

Assumption of Mary by Guido Reni

South Africa is so blessed to have Mary, such a powerful intercessor with God, as its patroness to intercede on the country’s behalf. Why does the Church community in South Africa not make better use of such an influential mediator on its behalf with God?

Couldn’t the South African Church, that is, every parish and religious community in the country, as a united body, as a critical mass, introduce in its Prayers of the Faithful at every Sunday and weekday Mass a permanent petition to Mary Assumed into Heaven, patroness of South Africa, asking her to intercede very specially to God for South Africa and its people?

Surely such united petitioning to Mary as our patroness to intercede in prayer to God for our country, and especially this prayer raised as part of our daily eucharistic liturgies nationwide, will help South Africa be a nation of leaders and citizens at the service of God and neighbour, and a nation where love, goodness, peace, truth and justice reign.

Such a permanent, united prayer campaign would be easy to implement nationwide and would surely be a highly efficacious form of prayer for our beloved nation, thousands of South Africans’ prayers raised in unison to God daily through the intercession of our patroness, Mary Assumed into Heaven.