May is the month of Mary and U.S. Province parishes and apostolates throughout the country honor the Blessed Mother, many with a traditional May Crowning ceremony.
Mary, asOur Lady of Sorrows, is the patroness of the entire Congregation of Holy Cross.
AtSt. John the Evangelist Catholic Church, Viera, Fla., the May 5, 2013, Mass was attended by about 780 people, including First Communicants, 40 members of the Catholic Council of Women, as well as family and friends. Each First Communicant placed a carnation at the foot of Mary and one placed the crown on her head.
The crown was made by Patty Valenti, a parishioner, who has been making it for the last 50 years.
The statue of Mary was carried intoSt. Adalbert Church, South Bend, Ind., by four eighth graders on May 10, 2013. All students from St. Adalbert School presented flowers to the Blessed Virgin. A young girl, a First Communicant at St. Adalbert, presented the crown, while an eighth grader placed it on Mary’s head.
St. Joseph Church, South Bend, had its May Crowning on May 9, 2013. About 475 St. Joseph Grade School students, staff and parents attended. The school children processed from the school to the church and each class offered flowers on the altar. Rev. Brian Ching, C.S.C., newly ordained as a priest in the Congregation of Holy Cross, officiate the service.
Meanwhile,Holy Cross Family Ministriessponsored a Rosary Rally at Cantwell-Sacred Heart High School in Montebellow, Calif., on May 1, 2013. More than 2,500 students from 35 Catholic schools participated in a day of prayer and learning. HCFM staff engaged the students in praying the Rosary — Mary’s prayer — and in meditations on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.
TheMay Crowning photo galleryis available on our website.
