By Mary Morrell | Correspondent
For many centuries in the Church, May has been a month in which the faithful pay special homage and devotion to Mary. Among those devotions is the May Crowning, honoring Mary as Mother of God and as Queen of Heaven and earth.
PHOTO GALLERY: May Crowning in Sacred Heart Parish, Trenton
In parishes and Catholic schools across the Diocese, the traditional May Crowning included hymns and prayers and a procession of young children dressed in their First Holy Communion finery who placed flowers at the feet of a statue of the Blessed Mother, while one child, specially chosen, crowned the statue of Mary with a wreath of flowers.
Throughout history, Church fathers, including many of the popes, have encouraged Marian devotions as a means for the faithful to express their ardent love of Mary and to deepen their relationship with her son, Jesus Christ.
In his official proclamation of the 2015-2016 Year of Mercy, Pope Francis wrote, “Mary attests that the mercy of the son of God knows no bounds and extends to everyone, without exception. Let us address her in the words of the ‘Salve Regina,’ (‘Hail Holy Queen’) a prayer ever ancient and new, so that she may never tire of turning her merciful eyes toward us, and make us worthy to contemplate the face of mercy, her son Jesus.”