The encyclical recalls pleasant memories of the pilgrimage to Lourdes which Pope Pius XII undertook as papal delegate at the Eucharistic and Marian Celebrations in 1937.

The encyclical recalls that in 1892 Leo XIII granted the proper Office and Mass of the feast "In apparitione Beatae Mariae Virginis Immaculatae", which his successor was to extend to the universal Church a short time later.

He canonized Bernadette, Sister Marie Bernard, and described Lourdes as "now justly considered one of the principal Marian shrines in the world".

[7] Pius XII recalls his own previous encyclical, Fulgens corona, in which he wrote about Lourdes: The Blessed Virgin Mary herself wanted to confirm by some special sign the definition which the Vicar on earth of her Divine Son had pronounced amidst the vigorous approbation of the whole Church.

[10] Pius XII defines the root of evil as temptation towards materialism, a definition he does not confine to a materialistic philosophy, instead describing its existence also as "a love of money which creates ever greater havoc, as modern enterprises expand, which unfortunately determines many of the decisions which weigh heavy on the life of the people.

Christian families must remain faithful to their vital mission in society, and consecrate themselves in the current jubilee year to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

For married couples this consecration will be a valuable aid in their conjugal duties of chastity and faithfulness and keep pure the atmosphere in which children grow up.

The quest for social and political peace among men is, above all, a moral problem, because no reform can bear fruit, no agreement be lasting without a conversion and cleansing of heart.

...If you follow her, you will not stray; if you entreat her, you will not lose hope; if you reflect upon her, you will not err; if she supports you, you will not fall; if she protects you, you will not fear; if she leads you, you will not grow weary; if she is propitious, you will reach your goal.

In this his last Marian encyclical, he imparts to the faithful, the shrine of Lourdes and its pilgrims, "the most bounteous outpouring of grace with all Our heart, and with Our constant and paternal best wishes, the Apostolic Benediction.