Everyday Rosary Newsletter Vol.2, Issue #04 -- Best Way To Celebrate The Month Of Mary

May 12, 2010

Greetings!

The monthly Everyday Rosary Newsletter is brought to you from the How-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com website. In each issue you will find Rosary inspirations, new meditations, feature articles and ideas that support your prayer life, a calendar of upcoming Rosary Feast Days, and how to incorporate your faith in other holidays. Plus stories on how the Rosary has affected the lives of others and what people are doing to promote the Rosary. It will also keep you up-to-date on information added to the site. It is your monthly dose of Rosary inspiration!

Table of Contents

• A Note From The Editor
• Articles
• Top Picks
• How To Checklist
• Calendar Of Upcoming Feast Days
• Resources
• Testimonials
• Meet This Month's Rosary Promoter
• Q&A
• What's New

A Note From The Editor:

Well April showers have brought May flowers. Why not share these flowers with Our Lady? May is the month of Mary after all. What better way to show your devotion to Mary than to observe some traditional Marian devotions set aside for the month of May.

Two all time favorites are the May altar and the May crowning. Besides praying the Rosary and singing Marian hymns during this month, participating in these two additional activities will greatly enhance your May devotions. This month's newsletter is packed full of ideas and ways you can spend the month of Mary focusing on Our Blessed Mother and prioritizing your free time to make her an ever increasing presence in your daily life. Read on and you are sure to find the very best way to celebrate the month of Mary.

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Articles

The May Altar

Enshrine a statue or image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a place of honor in your home during the month of May. Use a statue or image of Mary and place it in a prominent place where it will be a part of your daily activity. A May altar serves as a reminder that Mary is not only your constant mediator and advocate but also should be your greatest mentor.

Those who are dedicated to the Rosary already know the importance of imitating Mary's virtuous example, and how doing so brings much peace and serenity into their lives. Even more so does the daily family Rosary said with devotion in front of the May altar bring serenity and peace into your home and entire family. In this way your home will be happier and richly blessed.

New Meditation on the Visitation

What a blessing St. Elizabeth received when Mary came to visit her home. And St. Elizabeth knew it! Listen to her words to Mary,

"And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy." Luke 1:43-44

The child in Elizabeth's womb, St. John the Baptist was also aware that they were in the presence of a special visitor.

Elizabeth welcomed Mary into her home. You too should invite and welcome Our Lady into your home. Why not do this be creating a May Altar or a place of honor for Our Lady's image or statue in your home. Truly blessed is the home that reserves a special place for Mary. Where she can lovingly watch over and guide all who live there.

May Crowning

Another tradition widely practiced in May is the May crowning. This is usually done in church, but is very meaningful if done in your home as well. This can be especially memorable if children live in your home.

It is nice to do this in an outdoor shrine. Weave a small crown for your statue out of flowers from your yard. I usually start with a study stemmed flower or small twigs that bend easily without breaking. Weave, braid style until you have a complete crown the approximate size of your statues head. Add flower blossoms to your twig crown. I use any flowers that are readily blooming in my yard and my all time favorite is Lily of the Valley. We often add Azaleas and Rhododendrons.

Choose one person to crown Mary and one person to be the crown bearer. We have always used our ring bearer pillow from our wedding as the pillow upon which to carry the crown. We draw straws to choose a boy to be the crown bearer and a girl to be the crowner. Then we collect a vase full of flowers for each of the other children to carry and offer in the procession.

Starting at one end of the yard (a substantial distance away) begin singing a favorite Marian hymn. We always sing "Mary we crown thee with blossoms today." Which can be found below. Then process toward your statue beginning with the crown bearer, followed by the crowner, followed by the rest of the procession carrying their vases full of flowers. We try to keep our procession as solemn as possible with each person reverently making their offering of flowers after the first two have crowned the statue.

When everyone has given their flowers, we all pray the Rosary together in front of the statue. This is a lovely tradition that our family cherishes. We keep refreshing the flowers all summer long. It is wonderful to have a three year old come up to you with a handful of weeds and be able to say, "Give them to Mary and say a little prayer." Their eyes light up and I always enjoy seeing them kneel down in the grass near the statue and fold their chubby, little hands in prayer. I know Our Lady is smiling too.

May Crowning Hymn

Bring flowers of the rarest, bring flowers of the fairest
From garden and woodland and hillside and vale;
Our full hearts are swelling, our glad voices telling
The praise of the loveliest Rose of the vale.

Refrain:
Oh Mary, we crown thee with blossoms today,
Queen of the Angels, Queen of the May.

Our voices ascending, in harmony blending,
Oh, thus may our hearts turn, dear Mother, to thee.
Oh, thus shall we prove you how truly we love thee;
How dark without Mary life's journey would be. (Refrain)

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Top Picks

Mary Gardens

Many flowers are associated with Mary. Perhaps you can attain some of these varieties to decorate your May altar or better yet, plant a Mary garden in your yard. That way you will be able to pick these flowers all summer long and place them at your May altar or place your outdoor shrine amidst your Mary Garden. These are our top 10 favorite flowers associated with the Blessed Mother...

10. Baby's Breath - known as Our Lady's Veil

9. Bachelor Button - resemble Mary's Crown

8. Rosemary - known as Mary's nosegay

7. Columbine - Legend tells that these sprung up under Mary's feet as she journeyed to visit St. Elizabeth. They are therefore also known as Our Lady's Shoes.

6. Plantain or Assumption Lily - named as such for they grow in August the month of the Assumption. All lilies are associated with the Blessed Mother's purity.

5. Snowdrop - Also known as Candlemas Bells. These dove-shaped flowers grow in February and according to legend appeared as Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem for Our Lord's Presentation.

4. Marigold - perhaps the humblest of flowers called Mary's golds.

3. Lily of the Valley - Legend tells that these flowers grew from the place where Mary's tears landed as she stood at the foot of the cross. For this reason they are known as Our Lady's Tears.

2. Bleeding Heart - Mary's Sorrowful Heart

1. Rose - Mary is the "Mystical Rose". White roses represent the Joyful Mysteries, red roses represent the Sorrowful Mysteries and gold roses represent the Glorious Mysteries.

How To Checklist

How To Make A May Altar

Everyone wants an impressive May Altar and surely Our Lady deserves the best. But impressive does not need to translate into expensive. Follow these tips to create a beautiful and inexpensive May Altar.

• Find a small table. Anything will do, a desk, coffee table, a dresser, a cardboard box covered with a table cloth, really anything.
• You may want to cover the table with some of your finest linens but this is not necessary.
• An 18 inch statue of Mary would be the wish of any Catholic household but use any statue or image of Mary you may have. Even a beautiful holy card of Our Blessed Mother will do fine.
• Fresh or silk flowers or pictures of flowers should be placed about it. If you can't afford fresh flowers and have no silk ones available, have your children draw pictures of flowers with crayons and place those around your image of Mary. Magazine clippings of flowers framed for the occasion will also suffice.
• Candles make a lovely addition to a May altar. Candles flicker and burn upward resembling incense that burn upward carrying our prayers to God.
• You may want to put a crucifix and some rosary beads on the table and a small chair nearby to encourage devotions.
• Besides the candles and flowers an even more important accessory must be added, this is the prayers and songs offered at the altar. This is what in fact makes it an altar, a place where an offering is made. Pray the Rosary there and other Marian prayers like the Litany of Laredo. Sing Marian hymns like the Ave Maria and the Salve Regina. Remember..."He who sings prays twice." -St. Augustine

Calendar Of Upcoming Feast Days

Ascension - May 13

This the 2nd of the Glorious Mysteries commemorates the day Jesus Ascended back into Heaven, 40 days after the He rose from the dead on Easter.

This is the anniversary of the first of 6 visits of Our Lady to the three shepherd children at Fatima in Portugal. Mary's message was that of prayer, especially the daily Rosary and penance.

Pentecost Sunday - May 23

The Descent of the Holy Spirit, the 3rd Glorious Mystery of the Rosary is the day the Holy Spirit descended upon Mary and the Apostles who had been waiting and praying for nine days in the upper room. Pentecost is the birthday of the Church and it takes place 10 days after Ascension Thursday and 50 days after Easter Sunday.

Trinity Sunday - May 30

This feast is the magnificent celebration of the three Divine Godheads, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. This mystery of the Blessed Trinity was first revealed during the Baptism of Jesus, the 1st Luminous Mystery of the Rosary.

Visitation - May 31

This is the commemoration of the 2nd Joyful Mystery of the Rosary when Mary visited her cousin Elizabeth.

Resources

• Ghirelli Faceted Gold and Glass Marian Rosary - The faceted glass beads of this fine Italian Rosary are gold colored and are 5mm in diameter. The "Our Father" beads are gold plated depictions of the miraculous medal. The crucifix and Marian centerpiece are gold plated. Rosary length measures 18" and comes in a Firenze gift box.

Books And Spiritual Reading

• May Crowning, Mass and Merton, by Liz Kelly - Thirty-something Liz Kelly is successful writer and a jazz singer. She is also a devout Catholic who loves her faith and is eager to share its beauties with others. "Mine is not an extraordinary faith,” she writes, “so much as a faith growing, a little messy, a little rough and subversive around the edges. But the litany of reasons to love being Catholic is extraordinary."

  Kelly offers her personal list of reasons to love being Catholic—from May Crownings to daily Mass, to Pope John Paul II and kneelers in church. With wit and great affection, she describes the holy people and places, beloved traditions, and joyful practices that constitute the vast, rich panoply of Catholic life well lived. She shows how the Catholic Church is a great storehouse of spiritual gifts that are offered to each believer.May Crowning, Mass, and Merton is an exuberantand lively look at a fully-alive faith and a young woman who embodies the hopes and promises of today’s spiritual seekers.

• Marian Devotions in the Domestic Church, by Catherine and Peter Fournier - This is the third volume in the Fourniers' series of unique, illustrated, spiral-bound activity books, which are intended for families to help them better understand and celebrate various seasons, feasts, and devotions in the Catholic Church. This large-sized book is designed with a wide variety of spiritual passages, prayers, and fun activities to help families incorporate a true devotion to Mary into their domestic church. In lovingly assembling this illustrated Marian family activity book the authors have followed the lead of Pope Paul VI and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

  " 'The Church's devotion to the Blessed Virgin is intrinsic to Christian worship.' The Church rightly honors 'the blessed Virgin with special devotion'. . . . The liturgical feasts dedicated to the Mother of God and Marian prayer, such as the rosary, an 'epitome of the whole Gospel,' express this devotion to the Virgin Mary."

  "In our own time, in a world often alien and even hostile to faith, believing families are of primary importance as centers of living, radiant faith. For this reason the Second Vatican Council, using an ancient expression, calls the family the Ecclesia domestica."

  This lavishly illustrated book suggests many ways to incorporate that Marian devotion into the family life. Many of the main Marian feasts are incorporated into the book, and each feast is presented with a brief outline, some history, and various suggestions for a family celebration.

CD's

• Alma Mater Songs and Prayers to Mary - Alma Mater is a stirring and highly emotional collection of eight original pieces of modern classical music. The release is a true event, marking the very first time that the Voice of Pope Benedict XVI has been captured on disc, speaking and singing in Latin, Italian, Portuguese, French and German, thanks to the audio recordings of Vatican Radio. Proceeds from the album sales will be used to provide music education for underprivileged children around the world. The album features His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI, reciting and singing passages and prayers, accompanied by The Choir of the Philharmonic Academy of Rome, conducted by Monsignor Pablo Colino, Maestro Emeritus of St. Peter's Basilica and recorded in St Peter's Basilica. The world famous Royal Philharmonic Orchestra plays on all of the specially commissioned contemporary tracks, and was recorded at the iconic Abbey Road studios in London. Simon Boswell, Stefano Mainetti and Nour Eddine are the three contemporary composers who have contributed the eight specially commissioned pieces of music for Alma Mater. Vincent Messina, producer of Alma Mater, commented, "These three composers are world class and my first choices for the album. A happy co-incidence is that Stefano is Catholic, Simon is `undeclared' and Nour Eddine is Muslim, thus perfectly representing our aim to produce an album that has universal appeal to all of those who love beautiful music."

  Collectively, the trio of writers boasts an impressive resume of film scores, TV series and stage productions from around the world. Hymns include Regina Coeli, Mater Ecclesiae, Sancta Dei Genitrix, Benedicta Tu, Advocata Nostra and more. "I am convinced that music really is the universal language of beauty which can bring together all people of good will on earth" - Pope Benedict XVI

DVD's

• Pilgrimage to the Shrines of Eastern Europe DVD - Fr. Benedict Groeschel leads this pilgrimage to the Shrines of Eastern Europe, visiting the Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Poland; the Infant of Praque Church in the Czech Republic; St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna and other treasured site. Join Fr. Groeschel and fellow pilgrims as they discover the rich faith of the Catholics of Eastern Europe. 4 Discs. 5 Hours.

Miscellaneous

• Our Lady of Grace Statue - This beautiful Our Lady of Grace statue depicts Mary crushing the serpent beneath her bare feet. The statue features wonderful detail from Mary's serene face and textured hair and clothing right down to the detailed teeth and eyes on the serpent. The statue is hand made in South America and stands 16in. tall, 16 1/2in. including the halo. It is 4in. wide at the base and approximately 6 1/2in. at the widest point, Mary's outstretched arms.

• Our Lady of Fatima Statue - This beautiful hand-painted statue of Our Lady of Fatima is made in Portugal. It has glass eyes and measures approximately 16.5 inches tall - height includes the crown. Made from a chalk compound.

Important Links

• www.rosaryworkout.com

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Testimonials

"You have a wonderful site!" - J.F. Archer

Meet This Month's Rosary Promoter!

Who:

Peggy Bowes, a devout Catholic, is the author of The Rosary Workout™. She graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1988 and served nine years as an Air Force pilot. Peggy has since left the military to raise a family and is also very active in parish life. She has been a lector, CCD teacher, and Little Flowers Girls' Club leader. She also enjoys triathlons, hiking, adventure races, and other sports as she incorporates all the benefits and blessings of The Rosary Workout™. Peggy and her husband and two children currently reside in North Carolina.

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If you would like to be highlighted as the Rosary Promoter of the Month, use the Rosary Promoter Submission page on How-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com and write us asking for a Rosary Promoter application. If you know someone that promotes the Rosary and should be featured as a Rosary promoter, by all means pass this along to them or send us their information and we'll contact them.

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Q&A

During the audio Rosary, a woman's voice seems to be leading the prayers. Do I say the Hail Mary along with her and then respond with the group or do both parts? If I only respond then I would be saying an entire Rosary and not a single Hail Mary. That doesn't seem right?

When the Rosary is recited in public, there is usually a leader with the rest of the group praying the responses. The Hail Mary in it's entirety is said by both the leader and the group. The prayer is split in the middle.

When praying along with an audio Rosary, most people respond with the group and allow the voice to lead the Rosary. When you are only responding with the second half of the Hail Mary prayer which begins, "Holy Mary Mother of God..." you are completing the Hail Mary prayer that was started by the leader so you are in effect saying all 53 Hail Marys. The same goes for the rest of the prayers.

The response of the group is "Holy Mary Mother of God pray for us sinners...." etc., which isn't listed in any of the listed prayers on your site or elsewhere and the group never gets to say a Hail Mary. I guess that better explains my confusion? Thanks for your patience.

The Hail Mary Prayer when prayed as a group Rosary is prayed in this manner...

"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. / Holy Mary Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen."

Above is the Hail Mary prayer in its entirety with a / breaking the leader's part and the group's response.

When praying alone, pray the whole Hail Mary prayer yourself.

The other Rosary prayers are divided in like manner.

Please visit Ask A Rosary Question Section - Where you are encouraged to answer questions and add comments to questions that have been posted there.

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What's New

A Glimpse Into Next Month's Newsletter

Next month's Newsletter - The Real Secret to Living A Catholic Life All Summer Long - The Months of the Sacred Heart and the Precious Blood

Please note: Because this issue was late getting out, June/July will be sent as one issue on July 1st. We plan to get back on our regular monthly schedule thereafter. Sorry for the inconvenience. We know many of you look forward to these newsletters and we do our best getting them to you in a timely manner. We run on a bare bones volunteer only staff and your donations are greatly appreciated. Click here to make your donation today. Thank you.

New On The Site

Please check out our numerous prayer request postings here...

Coming soon - More on Rosary Jewelry. Keep visiting!

Thank You!

Thank you for reading! Keep visiting www.how-to-pray-the-rosary-everyday.com and remember we love hearing from you. Please use the "contact us" page to leave any and all suggestions or comments.

I hope your month for Mary is filled with peace and blessings from God.

Holy Mary, Mother of God. Pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death!

To Jesus through Mary,

Kathleen Bowen and The Rosary Team

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