A Lost Tradition Returns
This popular practice has experienced a welcome resurgence in recent years after it fell out of vogue in the late 1960s, the result of a misreading of Vatican II's call for the Church to adapt herself in a suitable way to the needs of our day. It is refreshing to see the return, always popular especially among families with young children.
The ceremony offers the community a chance to honor Our Lady while reflecting on the role of Mary in salvation history. For Catholics, Mary is regarded as a powerful way by which we are led to Christ. Therefore, the person who encounters Mary cannot help but also encounter Christ. By turning to Mary, we find Christ in her arms.
The tradition of the May crowning has long been part of the fabric of parochial life in North America. Amid the perils and anxieties of life, Catholics look to Mary. We are urged and driven by the compelling needs of the human heart. In her maternal embrace we find a haven of salvation, a transcendent fountain of life and an example to follow on our path to Heaven.
The Ceremony Explained
The blessing customarily takes placed following Mass, either outdoors in the church garden or indoors. There is a procession in which the clergy and lay faithful participate.
The crown is generally a wreath of flowers, made by volunteers, with a ribbon and possibly a flowing bow at the back. The crown is carried in the procession on a small pillow and is blessed by the priest with a general blessing taken from the Roman Ritual. It is then placed on the head of the statue by the priest of a lay person.
In many places, a girl or young lady from the community is chosen to place the crown on the head of the statue. As the statue is crowned, the act is usually accompanied by the singing of a traditional Marian hymn and is generally followed by an Act of Consecration to Our Lady or the Litany of the Blessed
Virgin Mary.
There is no set form for the ritual. Hymns may include familiar processional songs such as, "Bring Flowers to the Fairest," "Immaculate Mary," or "Sing to Mary." Sometimes there is also a reading by the priest and a short sermon. In some places it is followed by an ice cream social.
The Order of the Ceremony
Below is a sample ordo:
I. Processional Hymn: Sing of Mary
II. Opening Prayer
Priest: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Priest: We have gathered here in joy to honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Queen and our Mother.
Mary is a model for all of us because of her perfect obedience to God. The more we are devoted to Mary, the more she will help us to become like her Son, Jesus. May we always honor Mary with love and devotion and imitate her faithfulness to God's will in all things.
All: Amen.
III. Crowning
IV. Coronation Hymn: Immaculate Mary
V. Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary
VI. Closing Prayer
Priest: Lord God, as we honor this image of Mary, we ask that our hearts be filled with love for our heavenly Queen. May our faithful devotion to the Mother of your Son keep us always faithful to you. As we offer this sign of our devotion, help us to imitate the example of Mary and to offer acts of love and kindness to our neighbors, so that we might also win the crown which you offer to all your faithful. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen
The Tradition Continues
God bless and reward the pastors and parishes across our land who help keep this tradition alive. Obviously, the purpose of this pious practice is to venerate Our Lady and to embolden the faith of the people.
As the Council of Trent states, “Images are venerated ‘not because of a belief that these images themselves possess anything of divinity or power, but because the honor shown them is directed to the prototypes they represent’ (Source: Council of Trent, session 25)."
Mary experienced the cares and hardships of everyday life. She lived the weariness of a broken world, well aware of daily toil and the hardships and trials of poverty. And then she experienced the sorrows of Mt. Calvary. May she come to the aid of the Church and the human race.
Our Lady is always present in the life of the Church and she graciously lends her heart to the devout pleas of the faithful. May she thus enlighten the hearts and minds of all who participate in May crowning ceremonies and bless the Church abundantly.
Photos courtesy of our good friend Sean O'Halloran of SO' Creative (Church of Our Lady of the Lake, Chapin, South Carolina).
