Now that May is upon us (where has the year gone??), our thoughts here at Our Lady of Grace have turned to … Our Lady of Grace. It’s time for our May crowning.

We began in our preschool classroom by learning about the Blessed Mother. We talked about Mary being Jesus’ mother, and also our own mother. She’s even our parents’ mother!

We watched the 8th graders crown Mary at Mass, which was very beautiful. Then we went back to our classroom to hold our own crowning.

First, we spent a few minutes “centering ourselves,” becoming quiet, thinking of Jesus and his mom. (We do this before Jesus Time, so they’re used to it!)

Then we said the Hail Mary, and played the Cary Landry song, Hail Mary: Gentle Woman. (This is a beautiful song if you’ve never heard it. You can find several versions on YouTube.)

As the song played, one student carried a crown of flowers to our Mary statue and placed it atop her head. Another student carried a stuffed flower over to her, and placed it next to her. They were so careful and tender!!

After the music ended and the children sat back down, we continued our conversation about Mary. Finally, Father Greg had suggested that we write thank you note to our mothers. We all participated, and finished our prayer service with gratitude to the loving guides in our lives. Hail Mother of Mercy and of Love!