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 the Mother of God cannot help but also encounter Christ. By turning to her, 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 or 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," and "Sing to Mary." Sometimes there is also a reading by the priest and a short sermon. In some places event is followed by an ice cream social.
The Order of the Ceremony
Below is a sample ordo, a mere suggestion:
I. Processional Hymn: Sing of Mary
II. Opening and Act of Consecration
℣. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
℟. Amen.
℣. Act of Consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. John Berchmans
Holy Mary, Mother of God, and virgin, I choose thee this day for my queen, patron, and advocate, and firmly resolve and purpose never to abandon thee, never to say or do anything against thee, nor to permit that aught be done by others to dishonor thee. Receive me, then, I conjure thee, as thy perpetual servant; assist me in all my actions, and do not abandon me at the hour of my death.
℟. Amen.
III. Blessing of the Crown with Holy Water
IV. Crowning and Coronation Hymn: Immaculate Mary
V. Litany: The Crown of Twelve Stars (abridged version)
All praise and thanksgiving be to the ever Blessed Trinity, Who hath shown unto us Mary, ever Virgin, clothed with the sun, with the moon beneath her feet, and on her head a mystic crown of twelve stars.
℟. Forever and ever. Amen.
Let us praise and give thanks to God the Father Who elected her for His daughter.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Father, Who predestined her to be the Mother of His Son.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Father, Who preserved her from all stain in her conception.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Father, Who on her birthday adorned her with His choicest gifts.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Father, Who gave her Joseph for her pure spouse and companion.
℟. Amen.
Let us praise and give thanks to God the Son, Who chose her for His Mother.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Son, Who became incarnate in her womb, and abode there nine months.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Son, Who was born of her and was nourished at her breast.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Son, Who in His childhood willed that Mary should teach Him.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Son, Who revealed to her the mysteries of the Redemption of the world.
℟. Amen.
Let us praise and give thanks to God the Holy Ghost, who made her His spouse.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Holy Ghost, Who revealed to her first His name of Holy Ghost.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Holy Ghost, through Whose operation she became at once Virgin and Mother.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Holy Ghost, through Whom she became the living temple of the Most Holy Trinity.
℟. Amen.
Praise be to God the Holy Ghost, by Whom she was exalted in heaven high above all creatures.
℟. Amen.
For the Holy Catholic Church, for the propagation of the faith, for peace among Christian princes and for the uprooting of heresies, let us say: Hail, Holy Queen, etc.
(Partial Indulgence of 3 Years)
VI. Closing Prayer
Ant. Who is she that cometh forth as the morning rising, fair as the moon, bright as the sun?
℣. As the rainbow giving light in the bright clouds
℟. And as the flower of the roses in the days of spring.
℣. Let us Pray
O God, Who through the fruitful virginity of Blessed Mary, didst bestow on mankind the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech Thee, that we may experience her intercession for us through whom we were made worthy to receive the Author of life, Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord. Who liveth and reigneth forever and ever.
℟. Amen.
Source: Blessed Be God, p. 275.
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, by doing so, we do not worship graven images:
“Moreover, that the image of Christ, of the Virgin Mother of God, and of the other saints are to be had and to be retained particularly in temples, and that due honor and veneration are to be given them; not that any divinity or virtue is believed to be in them, on account of which they are to be worshipped; or that anything is to be asked of them; or that trust is to be reposed in images, as was of old done by the Gentiles who placed their hope in idols; but because the honor which is shown them is referred to the prototypes which those images represent; in such wise that by the images which we kiss, and before which we uncover the head, and prostrate ourselves, we adore Christ; and we venerate the saints whose similitude they bear; as, by the decrees of councils, and especially the Second Synod of Nicaea, has been defined against the opponents of images." (Source: The Council of Trent, Session XXV)
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). We highly recommend his photo and video services.
