Honoring Mary in the month of May - Reflection

This last weekend at our Sunday Mass at Holy Savior, our children came up with flowers to present to Mary during our May Crowning, a beautiful tradition we have in our parish. For centuries, the Catholic Church has honored Mary during the month of May. Not just a day in May, but the entire month. I like to know the origins of our traditions and devotions in our Catholic faith, so I researched why we honor Mary in the month of May.

This custom of honoring Mary in this way evolved over many centuries and cultures. We can go back as far as Ancient Greece, where the month of May was dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of fertility and new birth. In Ancient Rome, May was dedicated to Flora, the goddess of blooms.

In the medieval era in Europe, there was a custom of honoring the month of May as the beginning of springtime and a time of new growth. In this time period of history, the tradition of a thirty-day devotion to Mary came about. Originally, this was traditionally observed in the summer. Later in Church history, mainly in the 19th century, May was honored as the Month of Mary with special devotions organized on each day throughout the month. This brings us to the month of May in which we honor Mary in the present-day.

There are many ways that we can honor Mary in the month of May. It is common for the faithful to pray the Rosary during May. Many of the faithful erect a special May altar with a statue or picture of Mary as a reminder of Mary’s month. It is also a long-standing tradition to crown a statue of Mary during May, a custom known as May Crowning. Often, the crown is made of beautiful flowers, representing Mary’s virtue and love. The May crowning is a reminder to the faithful to strive to imitate our Blessed Mother’s virtue in our own lives. May altars and May Crownings are not only observed in parishes, but also in our homes, our domestic churches.

We great love and faith, we honor Mary in the month of May. Blessings to all of you as we continue our journey together during this joyful Easter season. Father Lincoln.