Mary is the queen of May—the month of flowers and new growth. The ancient Greeks dedicated the month of May to Artemis, the goddess of virginity, chastity, childbirth and fertility, among others.
The Romans honor Flora, the goddess of flowers. May, during the medieval times, is the end of winter, and the start of new growth. If Greeks and Romans honor their important women, the Catholics, too, honor the most important woman—Mary.
Pope Francis’s first day as the 266th pope of the Roman Catholic Church was spent at the Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome. He entrusted his pontificate under the patronage of the Mother of God, the Blessed Virgin Mary.
He venerated the famous icon of Our Lady—Salus Populi Romani, believed to have been painted by Saint Luke the Evangelist.
Mary—the ‘Theotokos’
When the parents of mankind fell into sin, Mary was chosen to restore peace and salvation. And her fiat made it possible: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).
She willed to be the Mother of the Redeemer, she knew what it meant from the beginning and kept it all in her heart.
At the foot of the cross, Jesus gave His own mother to be mankind’s mother, too. Since then, her only desire, as mother of the apostles and disciples and Holy Mother Church is the salvation of man.
Through the centuries, the Blessed Mother became the Mediatrix of all Graces. And as Theotokos, the “cause of our joy.” It is a Greek term for God-bearer, or Mother of God, from Theos, meaning God, and the tokos meaning bearer, a title ascribed to Mary in the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD.
Mary is the most beautiful work of God. Her role in the history of salvation is closely linked to the life of Christ and the church that Jesus Himself founded. Thus, she is also the Mother of the Church. She is above all creatures but subordinate to Mother Church.
Saint John Paul II, made known her love for Mary with his motto “Totus tuus [totally yours].”
Devotion to Mary
The practice of honoring Mary with flowers originated in monasteries and convents in Medieval Europe.
Saint Fiacre, patron saint of Ireland for gardening, was cited as the first who tended a garden around a chapel of Our Lady in a famous hospice for the sick and the infirm in France during the seventh century. In the 11th century, a 30-day devotion to Mary in the month of May started in Italy. Mary’s Queenship as Mother of Christ the King was emphasized.
Pope Pius XII (1939-1958), in his Encyclical on Sacred Lithurgy, cited the pious practice of honoring Mary in May.
“Mediator Dei, although not belonging to the Sacred Liturgy, nevertheless is of special import and dignity, and may be considered in a certain way an addition to the liturgical cult,” he said.
On April 29, 1965, Pope Paul VI in his Mense Maio (the month of May) encyclical, enjoined Christians in “churches and their homes to offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration.”
He said that May is the month when “greater abundance of God’s merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother’s throne.”
In 1815 Pope Pius VII granted partial indulgence to the faithful who honor Mary. Pope Pius IV in 1859 granted plenary indulgence. In 1966 there was a decreased emphasis on indulgences.
In the Enchiridion of Indulgences, devotion to Mary was a partial indulgence. “To the faithful, who, in the performance of their duties and in bearing the trials of life, raise their mind with humble confidence to God even if only mentally,” partial indulgence is granted.
Crown of flowers for Mary
Parishes, families and children continue to honor the Blessed Mother in May through liturgical, catechetical, pastoral initiatives and pilgrimages.
Children are encouraged in parishes to attend catechetical instructions and offer flowers to Mary at the start of lessons. On assigned dates, specific groups are assigned to crown the Lady with flowers amid Marian chants and songs.
Block rosaries are also held, where the Blessed Mother is transferred from one house to another. She stays in every house for seven days where she is honored with prayers and songs. Marian pilgrimages, local or foreign, are also initiated by church or lay organizations.
The capstone of May celebration in the Philippines is the Santa Cruz de Mayo, or Santacruzan, a ritual to honor the Blessed Mary as the Queen of May.
The entire entourage of saints represented by children and ladies revolve around Saint Helena, who is credited with the discovery of the true cross of Jesus Christ. She is escorted by her only son Constantine, who remained faithful and devoted to her.
A ritual procession, it is dubbed as the queen of Filipino festivals that starts on the first day of May and ends on the last day of the month.
This May Flower Festival features the statue of the Blessed Virgin on a float decorated with flowers and lights. Introduced by the Spanish friars, the Santacruzan has become a favorite festival among Filipinos.
Saint Louis Marie de Montfort cited a crown of heavenly flowers that never fades—the rosary, which means crown of roses.
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Damo-Santiago is a former regional director of the Department of Education National Capital Region. She is currently a faculty member of Mater Redemptoris Collegium in Calauan, Laguna, and of Mater Redemptoris College in San Jose City, Nueva Ecija.