By Joanne Centeno '21 As the month of May is coming quickly to an end, I wanted to reflect on the Blessed Mother. As part of my community service project this year, I spent one hour each week in a 4th grade religion class as a teacher assistant. One of the concepts the teacher was trying to convey to these children was how important the role of Mary is in our lives as Catholics. So with that in mind, I started to think about it as well.
We crown Mary with a wreath of flowers in May to honor her. We pray the Rosary to her. The teacher in the class constantly reminds her students each week that Mary was a mother just like our mothers are in so many of the same ways. She gave birth and raised a son. She had to deal with things as basic as feeding, dressing, and even potty training. She was Jesus’s mother. She is also our mother. We crown her because she is the Queen of all Mothers. She had to endure witnessing her child’s suffering and death. Perhaps, many of our mothers deserve a crown for all they endure. I researched the reason behind the actual crown of flowers. Pope Clement VIII (1592–1605) began the practice of crowning the image of Our Lady in the Basilica of St. Mary in Rome. Pope Pius XII in 1954 said, “The Blessed Virgin Mary should be called queen, not only because of her divine motherhood, but also because God has willed her to have an exceptional role.” As I ponder the role of queen fulfilled by the exceptional Lady who we are taught to pray to so easily, it made me stop and think for a moment. It is a privilege as a Catholic, I believe, to have her as a role model. I also believe that I am privileged to be able to share that with 4th graders each week who are only beginning to know the power of prayer in the month of May and each time we recite a Hail Mary.
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