In the Catholic Church, the month of May is dedicated to honouring Mary. In much of the world, May is the height of the spring season; it is a time of blooming flowers and bright sunshine. For this reason, historically, May has been associated with fertility and new life. In May, the ancient Greeks celebrated Artemis, the pagan goddess of fertility, while the ancient Romans celebrated Flora, the pagan goddess of flowers. In the middle-ages, Christians began to associate “May Day,” a celebration of new life, with Mary, the Mother of God. The Jesuit order was the first to dedicate the entire month of May to Mary and this devotion spread quickly throughout the Church. It is fitting that we celebrate Mother’s Day in Mary’s Month. All motherly love is a reflection of Mary’s love for Jesus and for each of us. She is the ultimate example of motherhood and a perfect model of life-giving love.
There are many ways to honour Mary this month. One common tradition is to crown statues of Mary with flowers. As you crown your Mary statue, you can ask Mary to pray for special intentions, say a simple Marian prayer, or sing a Marian hymn. By crowning Mary with flowers, we honour her as the Queen of Heaven, and the Queen of our homes. You can also celebrate Mary’s Month by praying a rosary (or just a decade of the rosary) each day in May, going to Mass more frequently or even planting a Marian garden (many flowers have been named for her which you can learn about here).
If you have children, we have loads of ideas to honour Mary in the Kids' Corner.
