In this special month, in which we will celebrate Christ’s Ascension into Heaven and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, I encourage you to deepen your devotion to Mary.

In the Acts of the Apostles, we see the beautiful image of the early Church united in prayer around “Mary, the mother of Jesus.” That’s what Jesus wanted. His last wish – some call it his last will and testament – was that his mother should become our mother. He told the apostle St. John and each one of us: “Behold, your mother!”

via May is Mary’s month – By Archbishop José H. Gomez.

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Saturday, May 18, 2013

ONE of the merits of being an early morning walker is that you get to have many welcome surprises. One of them is experiencing local color most unexpectedly.

I was making my way out of the Cathedral one Saturday after the 6 a.m. Mass when I saw a very colorful crowd preparing for a procession. Children and teenagers in vibrant flower colors were waiting for their cue and their positions. The writer in me couldn’t help but be interested in what was going on.

I discovered that, since it’s the month of May, there are Saturday dedications to Our Lady. This particular procession was in honor of Our Lady of Good Voyage and was a mini-Flores de Mayo/Santa Cruzan.

Throughout the annals of time, May is considered the beginning of new life.

In ancient Greek culture, May was dedicated to Artemis, the Goddess of Fecundity (fruitfulness, richness, lushness, and productiveness).

In Roman culture, May was dedicated to Flora, the goddess of bloom and of blossoms. At that time, the Romans would have the “ludi florales” or literally the floral games by the end of April seeking the intercession of Flora for all that blooms.

The medieval era considered May 1 as the beginning of growth and the end of winter.

The Christian custom of dedicating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin arose at the end of the 13th century when the Church started to Christianize the secular feasts.

But it was not until the late 18th century that this devotion arose among the Jesuits in Rome. It took hold among the students and was publicly practiced in the Gesu Church, which is the mother church of the Society of Jesus.

Then, in the early years of the 19th century, it quickly spread throughout the Western Church. By the time of Pope Pius IX’s declaration of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception 1854, it became universal…

More at May is Mary’s month | Sun.Star.

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