In the Catholic Church the month of May is dedicated to Mary. It’s a great time to do something special as a family to honor and celebrate Mary in your home. Here are some fun ideas for honoring Mary that might be a perfect fit for your family.
Have/attend a May crowning– Many churches have a May Crowning were they honor Mary with a crown of flowers or by placing flowers near a statue. If you have a statue of Mary at home you can also do a crowning! Invite over friends and make it a play date, or do it as a family. You can make a crown using fresh or fake flowers. Here is a tutorial that doesn’t look too intimidating. I totally cheated last year and repurposed a floral headband that was gifted to me when my daughter was a newborn. If you don’t have a Mary statue you can use this coloring page to do a little crowning craft.
Plant a Mini-Marian Garden– Mary is often associated with flowers. There are countless flower varieties that have Marian titles or symbolism. Here is a fun list that includes a ton of flowers for Mary. Turn a flower bed into a Mary Garden by adding a statue of Mary. Even if you don’t have the space (or energy) to plant a big garden bed, you can still plant a Mary Garden in a planter! Check out my DIY Planter Mary Garden details in this post. You don’t even have to have a statue to pull this mini garden off!
Pray a new Marian Prayer– May is a great time to pray for Mary’s intersession. (But really, is there a bad time???) If you already know the Hail Mary, try the Hail Holy Queen, Memorare or Litany of Mary. Pick one to memorize, or try them all through out the month. If you have a specific prayer request try the Mary Undoer of Knots Novena or St. Teresa of Calcutta’s Emergency Novena that you complete in one day!
Have a Marian Tea– A Marian Tea Party would be a wonderful way to celebrate the month of Mary. You can serve a simple spread, or get festive and serve foods that represent different titles of Mary. Here’s a fun post that gives ideas for foods to serve at a Marian Tea. You could combine this with a crowning, read a book or gospel reading that is about Mary, or pray a rosary together. I’m including cards to set out with your food. A few have food ides, but there are also blank cards to add your own! just cut below the roses, then fold into little tents. Here are a couple pics of our Tea…as you can see the kids didn’t give me chance to get a picture of the spread!
Go on a Pilgrimage – Find a church that is named after Mary in your area and visit it. You could go for a Sunday mass, daily mass or just visit to pray. You could even bring some flowers along to place near a statue of Mary.
Read a book or gospel story about Mary. We have these two books about Mary that we enjoy. You could also read the gospel stories that include Mary.
Display an image of Mary in your home. If you have a Mary statue, peg doll or icon display it during the month of May. If you don’t have anything but would like to, this would be a great time to get one if your budget allows. I have found lots of beautiful images on ETSY that are often available as a download at a reasonable price. I’ve also been know to use images from the internet or cut out of the Church bulletin. You could also use a coloring page. Add flowers, a prayer card or candles to make it a focal point for the Month of Mary.
Host a rosary gathering. Hopefully you have some beautiful weather during May, and you can take advantage by hosting a backyard rosary. Invite friends or family over to hang out and pray a rosary. Serve a few snacks, beverages or a dessert. This immaculate heart of Mary cake would be extra festive. If the thought of trying to get your kids to sit for a full rosary is overwhelming shoot for just one decade with the kids and then let them go play and have the adults finish the rosary.
Have a beautiful Mary-filled May
Meg
