Notre Dame du Rugby, etc: Rules for establishing devotions to Our Lady

[Digitonomy]

Years ago I was puzzled when I encountered a side altar at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to Our Lady of the Highways.

At the time (and still to this day) highways evoked in my mind bad food at Howard Johnson’s rest stops, rather than angelic intervention. I wondered what other engineering accomplishments might have similar devotions… Our Lady of Subways, or Our Lady of Water Pumping Stations?

This question arose again recently when I heard of the French chapel of Our Lady of Rugby. There are certainly a large number of churches with names like Our Lady of the Valley, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of the Snows, Our Lady of the Sea, Our Lady of the Ridge, Our Lady of the River, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of the Rockies, Our Lady of the Black Hills, Our Lady of the Angels, Our Lady of the Assumption, Our Lady of the Cape, Our Lady of the Cenacle(?), Our Lady of the Cedars, Our Lady of the Dunes, Our Lady of the Elms, Our Lady of the Finger Lakes, Our Lady of the Gulf, Our Lady of the Island, Our Lady Untier of Knots, etc.

Are all of these real devotions to Our Lady? Or can anyone just throw a name of convenience on a new chapel, like Our Lady of the Vacant Lot?

 

[Sacred_Heart_1]

Years ago I was puzzled when I encountered a side altar at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to Our Lady of the Highways.

At the time (and still to this day) highways evoked in my mind bad food at Howard Johnson’s rest stops, rather than angelic intervention. I wondered what other engineering accomplishments might have similar devotions… Our Lady of Subways, or Our Lady of Water Pumping Stations?

This question arose again recently when I heard of the French chapel of Our Lady of Rugby. There are certainly a large number of churches with names like Our Lady of the Valley, Our Lady of Sorrows, Our Lady of the Snows, Our Lady of the Sea, Our Lady of the Ridge, Our Lady of the River, Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament, Our Lady of the Rockies, Our Lady of the Black Hills, Our Lady of the Angels, Our Lady of the Assumption, Our Lady of the Cape, Our Lady of the Cenacle(?), Our Lady of the Cedars, Our Lady of the Dunes, Our Lady of the Elms, Our Lady of the Finger Lakes, Our Lady of the Gulf, Our Lady of the Island, Our Lady Untier of Knots, etc.

Are all of these real devotions to Our Lady? Or can anyone just throw a name of convenience on a new chapel, like Our Lady of the Vacant Lot?

The whole world belongs to her. She is Queen of Heaven and Earth. To be namely devoted to her is not a mockery. She accepts devotion and in return gives her blessing.

 

[Chatter163]

Years ago I was puzzled when I encountered a side altar at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to Our Lady of the Highways.

At the time (and still to this day) highways evoked in my mind bad food at Howard Johnson’s rest stops, rather than angelic intervention. I wondered what other engineering accomplishments might have similar devotions… Our Lady of Subways, or Our Lady of Water Pumping Stations?

You do realize that there were highways long before the automobile age, don’t you? See Luke 14:23.

 

[Digitonomy]

You do realize that there were highways long before the automobile age, don’t you? See Luke 14:23.

At my young age, I thought of highways only as interstates or similar roads. I think there was an illustration at the side altar that reinforced this idea.

Regardless, it still seems a little odd. Devotion to Mary as the Mother of God has an obvious scriptural basis, in cases like Our Lady of Fatima we have apparitions. What is the basis for Our Lady of Highways? And is there any official distinction between something well-established like Our Lady of Sorrows and say Our Lady of Needlepoint?

 

[Chatter163]

I don’t know why it would seem odd. It simply is a reminder that Our Lady is always with us, even when we travel on the road. Ditto with names such as Our Lady of the Mountains, Hills, Lakes, Desert, Plains, Sea, etc. Seems simple enough.

 

[Digitonomy]

I don’t know why it would seem odd. It simply is a reminder that Our Lady is always with us, even when we travel on the road…

Fair enough; it just didn’t follow the pattern of the longer-established representations of Our Lady as devotion or patroness that I was familiar with.

Is there any official status that say Our Lady of Sorrows possesses that would be lacking in a newly made-up devotion of my own creation?

 

[Matthew_Holford]

Fair enough; it just didn’t follow the pattern of the longer-established representations of Our Lady as devotion or patroness that I was familiar with.

Is there any official status that say Our Lady of Sorrows possesses that would be lacking in a newly made-up devotion of my own creation?

I live near a large city. In the city centre is a Catholic church that contains the shrine of Our Lady of name of city. I don’t think there are rules other than decorum. It is, I think, possible to create the title of Our Lady of … unless it would be somewhere inappropriate.

 

[FrDavid96]

At my young age, I thought of highways only as interstates or similar roads. I think there was an illustration at the side altar that reinforced this idea.

Regardless, it still seems a little odd. Devotion to Mary as the Mother of God has an obvious scriptural basis, in cases like Our Lady of Fatima we have apparitions. What is the basis for Our Lady of Highways? And is there any official distinction between something well-established like Our Lady of Sorrows and say Our Lady of Needlepoint?

Something like this is up to the local bishop–at the start. It usually comes about in the context of naming a church, chapel, shrine, etc. And this is the bishop’s prerogative.

Any “official” use of a title like that would apply only within that local diocese, although other bishops could extend it to their own territories.

The conference of bishops can also add such new days into the calendars of their territory, once they become popular.

If a new title becomes very widespread and popular, we might see something from the Pope–such as adding a Votive Mass to the Missal, or even adding that day into the universal calendar.

A good example of this is what we’ve seen happen with the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe; and how that feast has spread in recent decades (although centuries old, it’s relatively “new” from the perspective of many in the United States).

Back to “Our Lady of the Highways”
I can think of a number of reasons why it’s an appropriate title.
Highway travel can be stressful, and even dangerous, so invoking our Blessed Mother’s protection is only natural.

They can also be occasions of great joy–making the annual 500 mile drive to visit the grandparents for Christmas, for example.

Highways can easily be an occasion for sin–we often get angry at other drivers, or frustrated with construction or slow-moving traffic.

Given the number of people who are talking on their cell phones while driving those highways, is it not a good thing to invoke the BVM’s protection while we’re travelling?

 

[FrDavid96]

I live near a large city. In the city centre is a Catholic church that contains the shrine of Our Lady of name of city. I don’t think there are rules other than decorum. It is, I think, possible to create the title of Our Lady of … unless it would be somewhere inappropriate.

We have some interesting names for places on this side of the Atlantic.

There’s a certain city in Pennsylvania, which has the zip code 17534.

They might have some problems here.

Check www.usps.gov to lookup the name.

 

[PrayForMeStJude]

The title OLO Highways makes much more sense when we don’t let our ideas of interstaes get in the way. While it covers interstates, it clearly harkens back to older times, when highways were travelled by pilgrims and weary sojourners.

Think of Chaucer’s characters in the canterbury tales, old western highway robbers, and paul of the road to damascus rather than being stuck on I-95 on the way home from work.

Although, for anyone who is familar with I-95, especially around the DC area, we probably need a whole cadre of patron saints to deal with that mess.

 

[Matthew_Holford]

We have some interesting names for places on this side of the Atlantic.

There’s a certain city in Pennsylvania, which has the zip code 17534.

They might have some problems here.

Check www.usps.gov to lookup the name.

 

[PrayForMeStJude]

We have some interesting names for places on this side of the Atlantic.

There’s a certain city in Pennsylvania, which has the zip code 17534.

They might have some problems here.

Check www.usps.gov to lookup the name.

Haha I guess you found one of the very few things for which she can’t be “our lady of.”