Who once was Mary

Many have difficulty with the formulation who once was Mary. This is not surprising because the very first ones to have difficulty understanding the sense of these words were the visionary herself, followed by her spiritual director, Fr. Frehe, and finally Bishop Huibers, whose responsibility it was to give permission to print it. Therefore, in its first printing, the bishop, who likeed the prayer very much, simply left out this phrase which he did not understand. The prayer then ended: “May the Lady of All Nations be our Advocate.”
Our Lady, however, did not agree with the change. “‘May the Lady of All Nations, who once was Mary, be our Advocate’––that is to remain as it is.” (Apr. 6, 1952)

She had already explained in brief and simple words: “‘Who once was Mary’ means: many people have known Mary as Mary. Now, however, in this new era which is about to begin, I wish to be the Lady of All Nations. Everyone understands this.” (July 2, 1951)

Who once was Mary therefore in no way means that we can no longer call Our Lady Mary, as we often do when praying the Rosary. Rather it means that we should not just know Mary by her name, but also by her vocation as our spiritual mother. Through this, our relationship to her should become like that of a child.

Source: Conference by Fr. Paul Maria Sigl,
God shows us through Mary, the Mother of All Nations,
the way to true peace
Cologne, Germany, May 31, 2009