In the heart of every Traditional Latin Mass is the mystery of Calvary made present—the eternal sacrifice of Jesus Christ offered anew, in an unbloody manner, upon the altar. Yet at Calvary, as the Gospel of John so poignantly records, there stood one who did not flee: “Now there stood by the Cross of Jesus, His Mother…” (John 19:25).
From the foot of the Cross to the cradle of the Resurrection, the Blessed Virgin Mary participated intimately and uniquely in the redemptive work of her Son. But her presence is not confined to the historical past. As the Church has always taught and as the saints have echoed, Mary is mystically present in every Holy Mass. Her role is not symbolic, but real and spiritual, united to her Son as only a Mother can be—yet as the Sorrowful Mother, as Co-Redemptrix, and as Mother of the Church.
Many Catholics are familiar with Mary’s sorrow at Calvary, her receiving of Christ’s body in the Pietà, and her presence at His burial. These events closely mirror certain moments in the Mass. But there is much more: a hidden tapestry of Marian mysteries woven into the sacred liturgy—especially in the Traditional Roman Rite.
Let us walk through the Mass and unveil the hidden presence of Our Lady in its sacred steps.
❖ 1. The Annunciation – Mary’s Fiat and the Offertory
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38)
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass begins long before the Consecration. In the Offertory, bread and wine are prepared—simple, earthly things, soon to be transformed into Christ Himself.
Here we recall the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the Son of God. Her humble Fiat is the doorway through which the Word became flesh.
So too, the Church, through the priest, says her own “fiat” at the altar—offering what is natural, so that God may bring forth what is supernatural. Mary’s womb became the first living tabernacle; the altar becomes the second.
St. Irenaeus of Lyons saw Mary’s fiat as the “cause of salvation for herself and the whole human race” (Against Heresies, 3.22.4). In each Offertory, that same openness to God is echoed by the Church.
❖ 2. The Visitation – The Church Approaches with Christ
“And Mary rising up in those days, went into the hill country with haste…” (Luke 1:39)
As the priest approaches the altar and begins the Prayers at the Foot of the Altar, the Church mirrors Mary’s journey to visit Elizabeth.
Mary carries Christ hidden in her womb; the priest carries Christ mystically in his soul as he begins the sacred rite. His humility in the Confiteor echoes Mary’s words in the Magnificat: “He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid.”
St. Ambrose of Milan, in his Commentary on Luke, speaks of Mary as the “type of the Church, bearing within herself the Word made flesh, hastening to bring Him to others.” This is precisely the movement of the liturgy at its opening—a procession toward mystery.
The faithful, like Elizabeth, rejoice interiorly in the presence of the Lord, even before He is fully revealed.
❖ 3. The Nativity – Consecration and the Manifestation of Christ
“And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes…” (Luke 2:7)
The Consecration of the Mass is the moment when the Word, hidden under the veil of sacrament, becomes present upon the altar.
Just as Mary gave birth to Christ in Bethlehem, the “House of Bread,” so now the altar becomes a new Bethlehem, where Christ is made present under the appearances of bread and wine.
St. Ephrem the Syrian, in his hymns, refers to Mary’s womb as the “throne of the Bread of Life”, showing how intimately the Incarnation and the Eucharist are linked.
Mary wrapped His tiny body in swaddling clothes; the priest now elevates the Host, presenting Christ to the Church. The faithful gaze in adoration, just as the shepherds once did.
❖ 4. The Presentation – Offering the Son to the Father
“They brought him to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord.” (Luke 2:22)
In the Canon of the Mass, the priest lifts up Christ to the Father in a sacrificial offering. This is deeply reflected in the mystery of the Presentation in the Temple, where Mary and Joseph offered the Child Jesus to God according to the Law.
Here is Mary’s maternal priesthood in action—not a sacramental priesthood like the priest at the altar, but a unique spiritual one. She does not just present Christ; she offers Him. This same offering is mystically renewed in every Mass.
St. Alphonsus Liguori, in his Glories of Mary, writes: “Mary offered her Son on that day with the same sorrow and love that she would later feel at the foot of the Cross. She made the first oblation of the divine Victim.”
The Mass is the ongoing Presentation of Christ to the Father, and Mary, who made that offering once in the Temple, now joins every priest in offering her Son again.
❖ 5. Calvary – Mary at the Foot of the Cross
“Woman, behold thy son.” … “Behold thy mother.” (John 19:26–27)
This is the heart of the Mass. The unbloody sacrifice of Calvary is renewed. Mary is there—always there—spiritually present at every altar, just as she was physically present at the Cross.
She is the Co-Redemptrix, not by equality with Christ, but by total union with His will and His suffering. She consents to His sacrifice and offers Him with the priest, whom she sees as another alter Christus.
As St. Bernard of Clairvaux famously preached: “Truly, O Blessed Mother, a sword has pierced your soul… so deeply has the violence of sorrow pierced your soul, that we may rightly call you more than martyr.” (Sermon on the Twelve Stars)
The Council of Trent, while not using the term Co-Redemptrix, affirms that the Mass is a “true and proper sacrifice” (Session XXII), and the tradition surrounding Mary shows her united to that sacrifice not just sentimentally, but salvifically.
❖ 6. The Pietà – Adoring the Body of Christ
“They took down the Body of Jesus and laid it in His Mother’s arms.” (Traditional meditation)
After the Consecration and Communion, we approach the Pietà. The priest consumes the Sacred Victim. The faithful prepare for Holy Communion. Mary’s arms once cradled the lifeless Body of her Son; now, she helps us cradle Him within our souls.
St. John Damascene, in his homilies, extols Mary’s “holy and pure hands that received the lifeless body of the Word, kissed it, wept over it, and wrapped it with love and honor.” (Homily on the Dormition)
She is the model for receiving Christ in Holy Communion—with sorrow, reverence, and profound love. Her silent adoration teaches us how to worship the Real Presence.
❖ 7. The Burial – The Repose of the Sacrament
“And they laid Him in a tomb that was hewn in stone.” (Luke 23:53)
After Communion, the priest purifies the vessels and places the Blessed Sacrament in the tabernacle. This reflects the Burial of Christ—with reverence, care, and silence.
Mary was present when the Body of Jesus was laid in the tomb. She watched, waited, and believed in the Resurrection. Likewise, we depart from Mass not in despair but in hope—for He who was offered is risen and remains with us in the tabernacle.
St. Germanus of Constantinople describes Mary as “the holy ark of God, preserving not tablets of stone, but the Living Word Himself.” The tabernacle, too, now preserves that same Living Word.
❖ 8. Pentecost – Mary and the Sending of the Church
“They were all with one accord in one place… and the Holy Ghost came upon them.” (Acts 2:1–4)
Mary was there at Pentecost, when the Apostles were filled with the Holy Ghost and sent into the world. At the end of every Mass, the Church says: “Ite, missa est”—”Go, it is sent.”
Mary, the Mother of the Church, is present in this sending. She prays for her children as they carry Christ into the world, just as she once carried Him to Elizabeth and later stood with the infant Church as it took its first steps.
Pope St. Leo the Great reminds us: “That which was visible in our Savior has passed over into His sacraments.” And Mary, visible in His earthly life, remains present now through the life of the Church, most especially in her participation in the Eucharistic mystery.
❖ Mary in Every Mass
The Traditional Latin Mass is Christ-centered, but it is not Mary-forgetting. Quite the opposite: the entire liturgy is pervaded with Marian presence—from the prayers at the foot of the altar, to the Canon, where she is named first among the saints, to the final Salve Regina and Leonine prayers.
She is the silent handmaid of the Lord, who continues to say Fiat with the Church, again and again, at every altar where her Son is offered.
To go to Mass with Mary is to go more deeply into the mystery of Christ. And to know the liturgy is to rediscover her hidden role in the life of grace.
❖ Suggested Practice: Praying the Mass with Mary
If you wish to deepen your devotion, consider meditating on these Marian mysteries during the Mass:
- At the Offertory, unite your heart with Mary’s Fiat at the Annunciation.
- During the Consecration, place yourself beside her at Bethlehem and at Calvary.
- As you prepare for Communion, ask her to help you receive her Son as she did.
- After Mass, remain a moment in silent thanksgiving with Mary, awaiting Pentecost.
❖ Conclusion
The Holy Mass is a mystery too vast for any one soul to fully comprehend. But Mary, in her humility and love, helps us draw nearer. She is present at every Mass—not just remembered, but mystically united to the offering of her Son. To love the Mass is to love Mary. And to love Mary is to be led always and only to Jesus Christ, her Son, our Lord and our Savior.
“To Jesus through Mary, in the Holy Mass.”