St Anne's Catholic Primary School

THE MONTH OF MAy - dedicated to mary mother of god

May is the month of Mary. We are especially thinking about Mary this month. During the month of May we honour the Virgin Mary as "the Queen of May". These services may take place inside or outside.

May Crowning

May Crowning is a traditional Roman Catholic ritual held during the month of May. It is a solemn procession at the close of the procession a statue of the Blessed Virgin is crowned with a garland or crown of flowers honoring Mary as “the Queen of May.

Why a Crowning?

The queen symbol was attributed to Mary because she was a perfect follower of Christ, who is the absolute “crown” of creation. She is the Mother of the Son of God, who is the King. Mary is the Mother of Christ.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High; the Lord will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there will be no end (Luke 1:32-33)

Elizabeth greeted the Blessed Virgin, pregnant with Jesus, as “the mother of my Lord” (Lk 1:41-43). The maid of Nazareth consented to God’s plan; she journeyed on the pilgrimage of faith; she listened to God’s Word and kept it in her heart; she remained steadfastly in close union with her Son, all the way to the foot of the Cross; she persevered in prayer with the Church. Thus, in a way she won the “crown of righteousness” (II Tim 4:8), the “crown of life” (Jas 1:12; Rev 2:10), the “crown of glory” (I Pet 5:4) that is promised to those who follow Christ.

HAil MARY

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is
the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners,
now, and at the hour of our death.

Amen

Hail Mary, Mother of Mercy
Hail Mary, Mother of Mercy,
our life, our sweetness and our hope.

To you, we cry, as children of God,
joined as one with our wounded world,
with hearts full of hope for a home transformed.

Mother of Creation,
look upon us we pray,
so we may come to see God’s earthly garden
through the radiant light of wisdom.

Holy Mary, Mother of all,
make us worthy we pray,
to treasure the earth our common home,
and show us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Amen.

This prayer is inspired by the Salve Regina

During May, encourage your children to show special devotion to the Blessed Mother. Daily recitation of the Rosary is one way of doing so; keeping fresh flowers before the painting of the Mother and Child in your home may be another. The Litany to the Blessed Virgin may be recited in addition. Instruct your children about the many benefits which can be derived from a wholesome devotion to Our Lady.

Devotion to Mary - Pray the Rosary

Activities

Say and reflect upon the prayer, the ‘Hail Mary’.
Decorate your own copy of the prayer, the ‘Hail Mary’.
Can you find Bible stories that feature Mary? For example, the Annunciation, the Wedding Feast at Cana.
Offer your own intentions to Mary by writing your own prayer. ~ this could be a prayer of thanks, a sorry prayer or a prayer asking for help and blessings.
Draw your own picture of Mary.
Create your own Rosary beads by using beads and string or by creating a Rosary paper chain.
Design your own flower crown for Mary – you could draw your flower crown or make a 3D version using craft materials.
Design your own stained glass window featuring Mary.
Plant A Mary Garden or tidy up the one you have.

Having a Mary garden is not only a great way to honour Mary, but it can also provide a quiet and reflective place for your family to go to her in prayer.

Meditation In Praise of Mary (Ppt)

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A May Crowning At Home

A May crowning is a special way to honor Our Lady during the Month of May. This can be done at home. We recommend doing it as a family.

Direction

Decorate an outside altar (weather permitting, otherwise inside) where you have placed a statue/picture of Mary.
Make a crown of flowers that will fit the statue. Let the smallest child carry the crown and give everyone else a flower to be placed in a vase on the altar.
Tell the children that the flower is a symbol of their love for their heavenly Mother.
You can line up in a procession and sing a Marian hymn ("Bring Flowers of the Fairest" is a suggestion) as you process to the altar.
After the crowning you can recite the rosary.
Finish with a celebration you could have dessert and games.

May Procession At School

The children made their own miraculous medals and wrote their own prayers which they then read during the procession. They also designed their own posters using titles that we can use when talking about Mary and these decorated the planters, together with images of Mary, for the procession.