This year, we added a new tradition to our home liturgical life – a May Crowning! This was a wonderful mother-daughter experience to kick off the month of May. May is the month when we celebrate mothers, so of course it’s fitting that we honor the Mother of God, Mary, as the Queen of May.
“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.”
Luke 1:42
Gathering Supplies
It was a beautiful day, so we made our crowns outside on the porch. A kit for making them came in my Easter subscription box from Catholic All Year, and my daughter has been waiting excitedly for this day. Crafts and all things artistic are her specialty. Throw in a pretty dress, flowers, and mother-daughter time, and she is a very happy girl!
Making the Crowns
To make the crowns, we measured Mary’s and my daughter’s head and then used 3 times that amount of wire. I made my daughter’s crown, and she made Mary’s. (I asked her which one she wanted to make.) We wove the leaves through the wire, and then added the flowers.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
Luke 1:46-48
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Crowning Mary
My daughter wore her Easter dress, and she excitedly crowned our Mary statue. It was a very windy day, so it would not stay on without being held. As part of our crowning ceremony, we prayed the 5th Glorious Mystery (The Coronation of Mary) along with the Scriptural Rosary app, which recites a line of the Magnificat in between each Hail Mary. We ended with the Hail Holy Queen, my daughter’s favorite prayer. Then we listened to a beautiful rendition of Ave Maria from YouTube.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
Luke 1:48-49
for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
Flowers for Mary
I am quite possibly the worst gardener ever. I can kill indoor plants with unparalleled speed. We do have a few hearty perennials in our landscaping that have managed to stay alive, and before our May Crowning I decided to do some weeding and pruning. (I have no idea what I’m doing, but it seemed to look better when I was done than when I began.) We’ve lived in our current home for almost 15 years, and as I was pruning, I found some bright yellow flowers (maybe just leaves?) that I’ve never seen before. It seemed only fitting to present them to Mary.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
Revelation 12:1
More posts about Mary:
Mary’s “Yes!” How we celebrated the Feast of the Annunciation
