Marian year

[5] The Pope invites especially to celebrations at the Grotto of Lourdes, "where there is such ardent devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived without stain of sin".

[1] According to Diarmuid Martin, of the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace, "The church has become extremely intellectual after the Second Vatican Council, and the Holy Father wants to bring back some of the traditional warmth that has gone out of fashion.

"[8] Bishop Gérard Dionne of the Edmundston said, "At a time when there are so many different forms of devotion and theological reflection about Mary that have not been officially approved by the Church, it is important to rely with confidence on the Pope's authoritative teaching.

"[8] For the beginning of the Marian year, a large copy of the Madonna della Colonna was completed for outside Saint Peter's Square.

Pope John Paul II had been approached by a student who told him that Saint Peter's Square was cold and incomplete without the portrait of the Blessed Virgin.

Icon of the Salus Populi Romani . The inscription on the Virgin's crown reads: Pius XII PM Deiparae Reginae Kal MCMLIV A Mar. ( Pope Pius XII to the Queen Mother of God , Marian Year 1954).
Statue of Virgin Mary commemorating first Marian Year, 1954, St Vincent Church, Los Angeles