May is Mary’s Month

May 3, 2021

“From Mary we learn to surrender to God’s will in all things
From Mary we learn to trust even when all hope seems gone.
From Mary we learn to love Christ her son and the son of God!”
~ St. Pope John Paul II

May, Mary’s month. There are a number of traditions that link the month of May to Mary. The earliest designation of May as a symbol of fertility comes from ancient Greece and Rome.  This transitioned to May representing new life and rebirth, which today are represented in flowers.

We can attribute the current tradition honoring Mary in the month of May to the Jesuits. Father Latomia of the Roman College of the Society of Jesus vowed, at the end of the eighteenth century, to devote the month of May to Mary to counteract infidelity and immorality among the students. From Rome, the tradition spread through Jesuit colleges around the world.

The celebration of the May Crowning draws its roots from the tradition of symbolizing Mary’s significance as the mother of Jesus, and hence, her queenship, by dedicating a picture or statue of Mary to be surrounded by flowers and candles, which remains up during the whole month to memorialize the importance of Mary. The ceremony, which is emulated at SCA, involves a procession of flowers which ends with the Blessed Virgin being crowned by a garland or crown of flowers. The May Crowning gives people around the world a chance to honor the Blessed Mother of Jesus and to give thanks to her from bringing our Savior into the world.

The May Crowning at SCA will be on Thursday, May 13.

Resources:

https://aleteia.org/2018/05/02/why-is-may-marys-month/

https://catholicstraightanswers.com/what-are-the-origins-of-the-may-crowning/

https://www.orlandocatholicschools.org/blog/celebrating-may-crowning

https://www.sjscatholic.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=242351&type=d&pREC_ID=574762