May Crowning Activities

May is the month of Mary and one of the most popular activities to venerate the Mother of God during this month is to participate in a May crowning ceremony. I put together this collection of activities ideas from around the web to prepare your students for a May crowning or to organize your own little ceremony in class.

A few suggestions about using these activities:

1. Explain Why Mary is a Queen

Why do we crown Mary?

Besides the fact that she is the Mother of Christ the King, Mary herself shows us the way to experience the joys of the Kingdom of Heaven. When Jesus preached about the Kingdom of God, he stressed the importance of humility. “The last will be first” he said to his disciples (Mt 20:16). The Virgin Mary is a model of humility for us. If we want to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, then Mary shows us the way.

Here are a few articles to help you answer questions about May crownings and Mary, the Queen of Heaven:

Why is Mary known as Queen of Heaven? (Busted Halo)
Is there a Queen in the Kingdom of Heaven? (Catholic Answers)
What are the origins of the May crowning? (Catholic Straight Answers)

2. Meditate on Mary

Instead of teaching about the Marian doctrines alone, give the students some time to reflect on how their lives relate to the life of the Virgin Mary. Read the stories about the Virgin Mary in the Bible: Annunciation, Visitation, Presentation of Jesus in the Temple, Finding of Jesus in the Temple, Wedding Feast at Cana, Crucifixion, Pentecost, etc., or meditate on the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary.

Role play: Ask the students to imagine what it must have been like to be Mary in each of these stories. What would they be thinking, feeling, or doing during and after each one of these events?

3. Introduce Other Marian Devotions

Either as a part of your May crowning ceremony (there is no official rite or liturgical service) or in preparation for the ceremony, introduce your students to some of the many great Marian devotions especially the Regina Caeli, the Angelus, the Rosary, the Hail Mary, Magnificat, and the Hail Holy Queen.

(If you teach First Communion, remind them of the tradition of wearing their dresses and suits to the May crowning.)

Here are some specific activity ideas to help students learn more about the May crowning and help make it an opportunity to encounter Christ by honoring his mother Mary Queen of Heaven: