Feast of the Name of Mary
Currently celebrated on September 12 as a double major feast, it originated in Spain through a concession granted to the diocese of Cuenca in 1513 under Pope Julius II. Other Spanish dioceses followed suit, but St. Pius V abolished the feast, which was later revived in 1586 by his successor, Sixtus V. In 1671, it was extended to all territories under the Spanish crown and Naples, including its colonies, and in 1683 to the entire world by Innocent XI, in memory of Sobieski’s victory over the Turks at Vienna.
Originally, it was to be celebrated as a double major feast on the Sunday within the octave of the Nativity of Mary (*S. Rituum Congr., Decreta*, years 1683-84, p. 106). On December 4, 1683, and February 5, 1684, the texts for the Roman Martyrology, the Mass, and the Office were approved (*ibid.*, pp. 127-133). Previous concessions regarding the date (September 17) and the liturgical formulas were explicitly revoked (June 17, 1684; *ibid.*, p. 173), while, at the request of Leopold I, the feast was elevated to a double of the second class for the entire Roman-German Empire and the domains of the House of Austria (August 19, 1684; *ibid.*, p. 192). Pius X, in 1911-12, transferred the feast to its current date, September 12. It is worth noting that early celebrations preferred September 22, based on the belief that Jewish custom imposed a name on females fifteen days after birth (Nativity of Mary: September 8–22, name-giving: 15th day).
In Rome, the memory of the memorable victory at Vienna is linked to the Confraternity of the Name of Mary, founded near Santissimo Stefano del Cacco in 1688, which took an active part in the prayer crusade promoted by Innocent XI. He elevated it to an archconfraternity in 1688, enrolling himself as its first member on May 16, 1689. Meanwhile, the confraternity moved to the church of San Bernardo at Colonna Traiana, which soon proved too small and was replaced by the present church of the Name of Mary (1738-42), where various precious relics of this great victory are still preserved.