THE MAY CROWNING IS a Catholic tradition of placing a crown of flowers on a statue of Mary, symbolizing her role as the Queen of Heaven and Earth.
KAMERON HODGE PLACES A FLORAL CROWN ON MOTHER MARY DURING ST. ANGELA MERICI’S MAY CROWNING EVENT HELD ON MAY 16. PHOTOS BY ALAN WENDELL/DIOCESE OF ORANGE
Every May, St. Angela Merici Parish School in Brea celebrates the May Crowing in a most meaningful way, combining the Crowning of Mary with a Living Rosary, where the school’s second and eighth students create a human Rosary, with each student representing a bead and praying a portion of the devotional prayer.
Held May 16 in St. Angela Merici Catholic Church, with dozens of family members present, the celebration featured performances by the school’s choir and a presentation of each of the five Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary, recited by individual students: The Resurrection of Jesus, the Ascension of Jesus, the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the Assumption of Mary and the Coronation of Mary as Queen of Heaven and Earth.
“Mary is a model of discipleship and purity,” said Fr. Daniel Reader, pastor of St. Angela Merici. “May all of those gathered here be influenced by her purity and her discipleship as she’s always pointing us to her son, Jesus Christ.”
STUDENTS PROCESS AROUND THE CHURCH DURING THE TRADITIONAL MAY CROWNING CEREMONY AT ST. ANGELA MERICI CATHOLIC CHURCH IN BREA.
“This May Crowning and Living Rosary is part of the school’s faith formation activities, which include various liturgical and prayer experiences throughout the year,” said Vanessa Halliday, St. Angela Merici music teacher and one of the main organizers the event. Halliday, who has been at the school for 18 years, said the May Crowing and Living Rosary had already been taking place for years before she started at the school.
“The significance is just during that month of May to really honor Mary, to have a chance to come together as a community through a Living Rosary and for the children to represent each of those beads,” Halliday said. “It’s just a beautiful perfect prayer that has been given to us and I hope that we can do more than just in May, but all year.”
As part of an assignment, every eighth grader submitted an essay on what the May Crowning means to them, with one being selected to be read by that student during the ceremony. The winning essay, titled “Whispered Words, Woven Wreaths,” was written by eighth-grader Kameron Hodge, who described placing the crown of flowers atop Mary’s head as “a moment of connection, a reminder that we are not alone, that there is a Mother’s love — holy, divine and yet imperfect and human — that surrounds us in the soft glow of the candles.”