O Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today...

Could the Crowning of Mary have been any sweeter? Maybe if I hadn't sung so much! Still, besides this being the first attempt at a May Crowning in recent memory - mostly with & for the Religious Ed students - it was glorious. My heartfelt appreciation goes out to all who helped make it possible.

The students brought flowers to place before the statue of Our Lady, & those with excellent attendance were also given images of the Blessed Mother to carry. The procession was supposed to begin outdoors at the lower level & progress around the building & up to the courtyard. The downpour outside convinced the organizers otherwise. I still wanted it outside, however, reasoning that the Lord had simply provided a over-abundance of holy water for his Mother's procession. More rational heads prevailed, I suppose, & we began in the entry hall of the Family Life Center.

Father did a brilliant job of leading us in prayer to God & asking for the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Thanks also to Deacon Sean who always lends his gravitas to the occasion. Having the crowning in the church instead of the courtyard really gave the sense of something "official" happening, something important - that is, important to our faith, important to our salvation. Perhaps that something was simply the worship of God by the honoring of Mary.

I can't begin to get into the meaning of Mary's presence in my life, other than to say that it has been life-changing. If the primary purpose of catechesis is to prepare the way for an encounter with Christ Jesus, then I have tried to do my part in sharing with my students my love of the Blessed Mother, who always leads us faithfully to the Son. I commend to her care for the summer all of my departing students, all those who she will send my way in the Fall, & all the children in the Religious Ed program. With her guidance, I confidently pray to the Lord, "Let it be done to me according to Thy will." Happy Mothers Day, Blessed Mother.