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How Our Lady Became the Patroness of America

By: Tina Mayeux July 4th, 2026

As our nation prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, Tina Mayeux explains the origins of the Immaculate Conception as Patroness of the United States. Our family lives near Mobile Bay, a 413-square-mile shallow inlet that extends into the southern Alabama coastline and draws scores of boaters, fishermen, and sightseers. The bay was first discovered in the early 1500s by Spanish explorers, namely Alonso Álvarez de Pineda, who christened it the "Bay of the Holy Spirit." Spreading the Faith was an important reason early explorers set sail, and they often bestowed names that reflected their religious beliefs on these new places. Names like La Florida, after "feast of the flowers," the Spanish name for the Easter celebration, were typical during the Spanish and French colonization of the New World.