Background Notes

May has traditionally been one of the months set aside for devotion to Mary. Many communities celebrate a May crowning of Mary’s statue and other devotions in honor of the Mother of God. Mary loved and trusted God. By her 'yes’ she helped fulfill God’s plan of salvation for us. Mary is a model for us to imitate.


"We Honor Mary" Prayer Celebration Notes

Focus		Celebrating Mary’s love for us
Materials Needed		Prayer table, Bible, candle, statue or picture of Mary, music, fresh flowers or plants, wreath of flowers. Click here for a printable picture of Mary to color
Reading		Luke 1:46–49
Music		"We Praise You," Blest Are We Music CD 1; "Immaculate Mary" (Traditional); "Hail Mary," Mary Lu Walker; "Hail Mary: Gentle Woman," Carey Landry (OCP Publications); "Mary, Full of Grace," Jeanne Frolick, SFCC (OCP Publications)
Preparation		Before the prayer celebration, print out and photocopy the liturgy, "We Honor Mary," for each child. Have children color the picture of Mary you have printed out. You could gather additional pictures to show how other artists have depicted Mary. Select a child to crown the statue of Mary. Direct children to bring their completed pictures forward after the statue is crowned. Prepare your role as leader.
Adaptations		Talk with children in advance about giving honor to Mary and invite them to bring a small gift to her. Such gifts might include flowers, candles, ribbons, symbols of motherhood, and so on. These gifts could be brought to the prayer table following the crowning of her statue.
Additional Materials		"We Praise You" Blest Are We Music CD 1 Call RCL Benziger at 1-877-ASK-4-RCL (1-877-275-4725). ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36652-2 Blest Are We Song Book Words and melody for children; contains music for levels 1-8 ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36617-4 Blest Are We Accompaniment Book Contains accompaniment music for levels 1-8 ORDER NUMBER: 0-382-36618-2