Cardinal Gregory led pupils at Mary of Nazareth School in Darnestown, Maryland in a May 6 First Friday Mass and crowning of Mary of Nazareth. To honor Jesus's mother, students and staff at the school sang Marian hymns with the choir, including "Immaculate Mary" and "Be Joyful, Mary."
The Mass, which was held in the school's gymnasium, the Katie Fitzgerald Center, was attended by students in the second through eighth grades, parents, faculty, and volunteers, and was livestreamed to kindergarten, first grade, and preschool classrooms. During the crowning, eighth graders formed a line in front of the Mary statue, with the girls holding flowers. A student then placed a flower crown on the statue.
Cardinal Gregory noted in his homily that celebrating the Blessed Virgin Mary in May has long been a Catholic tradition, and that the month of Mary also coincides with Mother’s Day and the start of spring.
Cardinal Gregory celebrates a May 5 First Friday Mass and May crowning in the gymnasium at Mary of Nazareth School in Darnestown. During the Mass, he called the Blessed Virgin Mary “Mother of God, Mother of the Church, our own mother.” (CS photo by Andrew Biraj)
“May is a wonderful time because it allows us to focus on some wonderful, wonderful, wonderful people,” the cardinal said.
He went on to explain that all mothers, as an extension of Mary, guide their children in a variety of ways, both practically and spiritually. As the Mother of the Church, Mary allowed God to become man, resulting in the salvation of all Christians.
“As we crown Mary, the Mother of God, Mother of the Church, our own mother, she provides another wonderful reason that May is so terrific,” the Cardinal said.
Cardinal Gregory pointed out that May is full of important events for Catholics, including students who will be receiving their First Holy Communion and Sacrament of Reconciliation, as well as older students who are looking forward to their Confirmation.
“May is a wonderful month because it’s a time when all of us can give glory to God for many wonderful things: for the birth that sustains us, and is coming to life again, for the men and women who have given us life and strengthened us on our journey of faith, and for the Lord Jesus making Himself available to all of us in the sacraments,” Cardinal Gregory said.
The Cardinal also noted that for many priests, the month of May marks the anniversary of their ordinations.
Marion Strishock, a middle school religion teacher and the school’s religion coordinator, said Mary of Nazareth students are eager to participate in this annual event.
“The Sisters Filippini started [the event] about 28 years ago, when Cardinal Hickey brought them to establish this school,” Strishock said. “They set up all these traditions and we’ve carried it on all these years, it’s important, it’s one of the right of passages the eighth grade looks forward to.”
She said it was an exciting to have the event again, after having to adjust for the pandemic the last few years.
“It’s a lovely event, we’re happy to have it back because last year we couldn’t do this with COVID, we took the eighth grade to Mother Seton parish and just did a simple Mass, so it’s wonderful to have the tradition back,” Strishock said. “It’s a wonderful extra added touch [to have the cardinal celebrate the Mass.]”
According to Strishock, each class will have its own crowning over the next week since every classroom has a statue of Mary.
Students interested in crowning Mary wrote essays reflecting on what the virtues of Mary mean to them. Saina Fernando, an eighth grader at Mary of Nazareth School, was selected to crown the statue of Mary.
“My essay was about my devotion to Mary, and how we always relied on Mary ever since I was little because my mom had a bunch of miscarriages and then she prayed to Mary and had me, so I was like a blessing,” Fernando said. She said that during May she has been praying six times a day to Mary, along with a weekly rosary.
Ethan Rodriguez, another eighth grader, was selected to be the crown bearer based on his essay detailing how he feels that Mary helped him during a difficult time in his life.
“When I was four years old I was diagnosed with this disease, it ate my bone marrow, so all I did was pray to Mary, my mom taught me how to pray, I kept praying to her and praying to her, and before you know it I was out of the hospital,” Rodriguez said. He had been in the hospital for about a month.
“I made sure that Mary was a part of my life from then on, I always like to pray to her,” he said. During the month of May, Rodriguez has been praying three Hail Marys in the morning, three Hail Marys at night, and when he cannot pray the rosary, he prays the Crown of Mary.
School principal Michael Friel announced after the celebration that he would shave his long beard, which he had been growing out throughout the pandemic, because the students behaved well during the cardinal's Mass.
