Mary, Rosaries, Scapulars and Crowns
In the month of May, the Catholic Church honors the Blessed Virgin Mary. And it is not just one day but 31 days! The Blessed Virgin Mary has been honored with the title “Mother of God” since ancient times. We have enjoyed a special devotion to her ever since. The Angel Gabriel greeted Mary with “Hail, full of Grace, the Lord is with you.” This was even before she had given her Fiat. After the Annunciation, Mary immediately journeyed to see her cousin, also miraculously pregnant. Upon greeting Elizabeth, Mary says in her Magnificat, “All generations will call me blessed.” In the Catechism of the Catholic Church, #967, we read: By her complete adherence to the Father’s will, to his Son’s redemptive work, and to every prompting of the Holy Spirit, the Virgin Mary is the Church’s model of faith and charity.
How do we as a Church show our honor, respect and devotion to Mary, our Mother in Heaven? We have devotionals like the Rosary and the Brown Scapular, we go on pilgrimages to approved apparition sites and, especially during the month of May, we gather around her statue to “crown” her as Queen of Heaven.
Rosary
The Rosary is a mental meditation on the life of Christ. It is accompanied by the rhythms of the Our Fathers and Hail Marys we recite verbally. We ask for her intercession, offer our petitions and special intentions, and find consolation and perspective as a consequence. Praying a decade with younger children right after dinner or finding time to recite a full 5 decade rosary before the pressures of the day begin are ways to incorporate this devotion into your life.
“When the Holy Rosary is said well, it gives Jesus and Mary more glory and is more meritorious than any other prayer.” St. Louis de Montfort
Brown Scapular
The Brown Scapular, originally part of the Carmelite habit, has become a devotional worn by millions all over the world. St. Simon Stock, a Carmelite priest, received a vision from Mary, as Our Lady of Mount Carmel. In this vision, she presented him with the scapular and a list of promises to those wearing it with devotion. In particular, one of those promises was the deliverance from Purgatory on the first Saturday after death of anyone who died wearing the scapular. Traditionally children receiving their First Communion are gifted a Brown Scapular. Anyone, at any age, can be “enrolled” and receive the privileges associated with its devout wearing.
“Take this Scapular, it shall be a sign of salvation, a protection in danger and a pledge of peace. Whosoever dies wearing this Scapular shall not suffer eternal fire.” Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Apparitions and Pilgrimages
Marian apparitions are a special way Mary connects us with her Son, Jesus Christ. She guides us to Him and reflects His love, joy and peace. The Church has approved many of her apparitions and they are quite famous: Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal and Our Lady of Lourdes in France. While these pilgrimage European sites should be on your bucket list of vacation destinations, we in the United States have Our Lady of Good Help in Champion, Wisconsin. This is the only officially approved Marian apparition in the US.
Mary identified herself as ”Queen of Heaven who prays for the conversion of sinners” to Adele Brise in 1859. The Virgin Mary gave Adele a mission of evangelism and catechesis. She said, “Gather the children in this wild country, and teach them what they should know for salvation … Go and fear nothing. I will help you.” At that time, Wisconsin had just become a US state 11 years earlier – we were a “wild country!”
If you can’t make it to Wisconsin, much less Europe, consider making a pilgrimage during this Jubilee Year of Hope to one of your Dioceses’ designated churches and receive the indulgence granted by Pope Francis. Many of these sites are dedicated to Mary, like St Mary’s in Huntingburg IN, Our Lady of Victory in Pittsburgh, PA, and Our Lady Queen of Peace Cemetery in Colton, CA.
“Do penance, sacrifice, receive the sacraments frequently, and teach the children their catechism.” Our Lady of Good Hope
May Crowning
We recognize Mary as Queen of Heaven in a sweet and special tradition, especially in schools and with our children. We “crown” her sometime during her month of May. A crown of flowers and ribbons is placed on the head of a statue of Mary or in front of her image to signify her place at her Son’s side as the Queen Mother. Also, it recognizes her motherly concern for us, her children, as Jesus gave her to us on the cross.
“When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold, your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” John 19: 26-27
Your parish may have a special May Crowning to attend. You can do a simple ceremony with a statue in your home or in your yard. Many Catholic families put a concrete statue of the Blessed Virgin in a flower bed or even have a small, homemade grotto in their yard. Children are intrigued by the procession and presentation of the lovely crown to Mary accompanied by a simple hymn like, Hail Holy Queen.
Above all, when we remember and honor the Blessed Virgin Mary, we can make our lives more like hers. Mary consented, by her own free will, to be the Mother of God, and all that it entailed. Let’s unite our wills to God’s Will. Let’s pray that Mary intercedes for us to Jesus, her Son, so we can answer, as she did, “Let it be done unto me according to your Will.”
Written by Martha Haenni, CCL Staff. Learn NFP from Couple to Couple League: CCL NFP classes.