GREENVILLE — A popular devotion for Catholics recognizing the Blessed Mother’s life of love and faithfulness, the traditional May Crowning honors Mary as queen of heaven.
With roots dating back to the Second Council of Nicea in 787 A.D., the crowning ceremony usually takes place in May, often during a special Rosary celebration, Benediction, or at the end of Mass with a crowning of a statue or image of Our Lady, according to tradition.
In Catholic communities across the United States, the practice expresses reverence for the dignity of Mary, the Mother of God and for her son, Jesus.
On Saturday, May 15, the women of Mater Ecclesiae College led the local community in a special May Crowning event, which included a rosary for vocations, a Litany of Praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary and the voices of the Mater Ecclesiae choir singing Marian hymns.
Close to 165 people were present to celebrate the crowning at the grotto of the Greenville college. The consecrated women of Regnum Christi have been hosting the traditional May Crowning at Mater Ecclesiae College for the past three years.
Megan McClennan, who is in her second year of formation at the college, explained that it is important to see Mary as mother of the world because she always points to and brings the faithful to Jesus.
“She is the best, best way to get to Jesus,” said McClennan. “We are a family here. We are a family because she is our mother. She is the center of attention today because we all need a mother. She brings us in and she tells is it’s going to be all right. I think Mary is very pleased with the rosary we prayed and the songs we sang.”
Senior Beth Van de Voorde explained that the gesture of children bringing flowers to their spiritual mother is one that every mother can be grateful for.
Four-year-old Aoife Blais and her sister Aemilia Blais, 7, processed toward the statue carrying spring flowers for Mary. Dressed in a white dress, Sofia Burdiel, 9, placed a flower crown on the statue of the Blessed Virgin in the grotto.
“It’s beautiful,” said Van de Voorde. “She’s our queen. You think of little kids who pick flowers and give them to their mothers. That always means a lot to mom.”
Jacquie Lustig, who is in her first year of studies at Mater Ecclesiae, said that there is a lot to learn about the Mother of God and her simplicity.
“Who else better to show us a hidden God than the woman who hid God in her womb,” Lustig explained. “Her life was complicated, it was busy. She can help us find in one moment what the rest of the world spends their whole lives searching for, the presence of God.”
