By David Kilby | Correspondent

With May being Mary’s month, it seems fitting to end it with a Marian Crowning bringing in speakers and artists from around the country for a day of gratitude for the Blessed Mother.


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That’s what happened May 31 when St. Mary Parish, Middletown, hosted a day-long Marian crowning that coincided with the Marian feast of the Visitation and the feast of the Lady of All Nations. The event was sponsored by the Lady of All Nations Prayer Group, Toms River.

In addition to the crowning, participants enjoyed praise and worship music and inspiring talks by notable speakers including Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life; Father Bill Halbing, a charismatic Marian priest, and Ray Mooney, national director for Parish Consecration.  Donna Lee, a singer-song writer from California, also shared some of her music. She was joined by The Ave Verum choir from St. Charles Borromeo Parish, Cinnaminson.

The day included the recitation of the Rosary in English, Tagalog, Spanish, Polish and Haitian Creole, as well the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and a multilingual Mass concelebrated by Father Pavone and Father Jeffrey Kegley, pastor of St. Mary Parish.

Another significant event was a special blessing upon those persons who had completed the 33-day preparation for consecration to Jesus through Mary. The pinnacle of the day though, was the crowning of the Blessed Virgin Mary and a procession of many different Marian images venerated throughout the world.

In his talk, Father Pavone spoke about devotion to Mary centered on the Eucharist, Marian ministry, the Gospel and the pro-life cause. He said that life is the best gift someone can receive, and all of the gifts we receive from the Holy Spirit begin with life. He also took the opportunity to speak of the upcoming feast of Pentecost on June 8.

Deacon Romy Aquino of St. Joseph Parish, Toms River, assisted the Lady of All Nations Prayer group’s leaders Isabel Guerrero and Janette Alberto; the group’s spiritual director Father Dason Areepparampil, parochial vicar of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Whiting, and Carl Duque, who all were instrumental in organizing the event.

“One of our prayer group’s missions is to evangelize as Pope Francis encourages all of us to do,” Guerrero said. Another mission of the group is to propagate the Marian Devotion, especially the Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary using the 33 days of prayers by St. Louis de Montfort.

“We have been encouraging everyone, individuals, and families to do the consecration,” Guerrero said. “The month of May is Mary’s month.”

This is the second year the group has hosted the crowning event for the Lady of All Nations. The first event was last year in the Blue Army Shrine in Washington, Warren County.

“We were supposed to hold it there but due to double booking glitches, we were forced to look for another venue,” Guerrero shared. “The Blessed Mother led us to hold it in a local place in the Diocese of Trenton … Father Jeff Kegley was very gracious and helpful to host the event for us. How appropriate it is that the church name was St. Mary, Mother of God Church, where the Blessed Mother led the way.