As we approach the Fourth, it might do us and the country well to recall, as we do from time to time, a prayer to the Immaculate Conception given during an apparition (“Our Lady of America”) to nun Mildred Mary Neuzil of Ohio. [see archives]

It won the imprimatur of late Cincinnati Archbishop Paul Leibold and the nihil obstat of Daniel Pilarczyk, S.T.D., who later became, as had been Leibold, Cincinnati’s archbishop. It was composed at the behest of the Blessed Mother on October 5, 1956, and we repeat it because it is so directly relevant to the U.S. — especially in the past months. The prayer as presented by Sister Neuzil:

“O Immaculate Mother, Queen of our country, open our hearts, our homes, and our Land to the coming of Jesus, your Divine Son. With Him, reign over us, O heavenly Lady, so pure and so bright with the radiance of God’s light shining in and about you. Be our Leader against the powers of evil set upon wresting the world of souls, redeemed at such a great cost by the sufferings of your Son and of yourself, in union with Him, from that same Savior, Who loves us with infinite charity.

“We gather about you, O chaste and holy Mother, Virgin Immaculate, Patroness of our beloved Land, determined to fight under your banner of holy purity against the wickedness that would make all the world an abyss of evil, without God and without your loving maternal care.

“We consecrate our hearts, our homes, our Land to your Most pure Heart, O great Queen, that the kingdom of your Son, our Redeemer and our God, may be firmly established in us.

“We ask no special sign of you, sweet Mother, for we believe in your great love for us, and we place in you our entire confidence. We promise to honor you by faith, love, and the purity of our lives according to your desire.

“Reign over us, then, O Virgin Immaculate, with your Son Jesus Christ. May His Divine Heart and your most chaste Heart be ever enthroned and glorified among us. Use us, your children of America, as your instruments in bringing peace among men and nations. Work your miracles of grace in us, so that we may be a glory to the Blessed Trinity, Who created, redeemed, and sanctifies us.

“May your valiant Spouse, St. Joseph, with the holy Angels and Saints, assist you and us in ‘renewing the face of the earth.’ Then when our work is over, come, Holy Immaculate Mother, and as our Victorious Queen, lead us to the eternal kingdom, where your Son reigns forever as King. Amen. [200 days indulgence]”

Nihil Obstat: Daniel Pilarczyk, S.T.D.

Imprimatur: Paul F. Leibold, V.G.

Cincinnati, January 25, 1963

[resources: Our Lady of America messages, booklet]