May, the Month of Mary
May is a very special month for the Church as we remember Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Mother of us all.
A full month is given over to Mary and during this month we are asked to think about Mary, say special prayers to her, have May altars, and sing hymns to Mary to tell her how much we love her and to ask her to help us stay close to her son Jesus and to try to live as Jesus shows us.
May is seen as the beginning of new life and the start of summer, which makes this a logical time for the celebrations of Mary. Please see below for some ideas of how we can honour the Blessed Virgin Mary in a special way and allow her to conquer our hearts.
Praying Together
During this time of mourning for Pope Francis and the election of our new Pope, we turn to Mary to help and guide us:
O Mary,
you always shine on our path
as a sign of salvation and of hope.
We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick,
who at the cross took part in Jesus’ pain, keeping your faith firm.
You, Salvation of the Roman People,
know what we need,
and we are sure you will provide
so that, as in Cana of Galilee,
we may return to joy and to feasting
after this time of trial.
Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform to the will of the Father
and to do as we are told by Jesus,
who has taken upon himself our sufferings
and carried our sorrows
to lead us, through the cross,
to the joy of the resurrection. Amen.
Under your protection, we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God.
Do not disdain the entreaties of we who are in trial,
but deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.
Celebrating Mary
Below are some ways you can celebrate Mary in May, alongside some extra craft suggestions.
You could:
- Paint or draw a Mary picture.
- Design a crown or flower for Mary.
- Create a prayer space.
- Create your own Rosary.
- Create a stain glass window.
- Learn the many different names for Mary and create art based on this.
- Hold a May procession.
- Learn a song about Mary, such as Ave Maria, As I Kneel Before You or Queen of the May.
Titles of Mary
Did you know that Mary is known by many different titles? Some relate to her virtues or events that happened in her life.
Throughout the month of May, we will be learning about some of those different titles, including Our Lady of the Rosary.
Jesus told us that we can only get to the Father through the Son, but Jesus had to get to us through his Mother, Mary. Therefore, Blessed John Henry Newman explains she is called the “Gate of Heaven” because she delivered Jesus to us.
Praying the Rosary
What is The Rosary?
The Rosary is a set of prayers to God, Our Lady and the Holy Spirit. As we repeat the familiar words, we allow our minds to think about a wonderful part of Jesus’ life here on earth - a mystery.
The Mysteries
There are four parts to the rosary, known as “mysteries”:
- The Joyful Mysteries
- The Sorrowful Mysteries
- The Glorious Mysteries
- The Luminous Mysteries
Each set of mysteries is divided into five elements (known as 'a decade') which allow for reflection on different passages from Scripture.
A decade is a set of prayers including the Our Father, ten Hail Marys and a Glory Be.
Decide for yourself how many times to say the prayers each day, for example:
- Option 1: 1 x Our Father, 10 x Hail Marys, 1 x Glory Be (this is ‘a decade’)
- Option 2: 1 x Our Father, 3 x Hail Marys, 1 x Glory Be
- Option 3: 1 x Our Father, 1 x Hail Mary, 1 x Glory Be