Dear St. Rita Families,

            May is the month of Mary! We are only a few days into it, and so if you haven’t considered a Marian devotion specific to this month, I encourage you to do so. It is also important to teach this devotion to your children, and so it is good to include them in your practice of Marian piety this month, even if their participation is slightly modified because of their age. It is good to pick also a particular intention that you and your family can entrust to Mary this month by means of your acts of piety. She graciously and happily brings our intentions before God, and He is happy to answer them through Her intercession, because it shows forth to us just how beautiful and glorious Mary is, She who is the Masterpiece of God’s Creation. 

As you ponder what your Marian devotion could look like this month, here are a few suggestions for you to consider:

·      Daily Rosary: The rosary is a fitting crown of love offered by devoted children to their Mother. The repetition of the Hail Marys is meant to be like background music, and the attentive meditation on the Mysteries of the Life of Christ and Mary is like asking your Mother to tell you the stories of Her life again. She wants to share these details with you, because She wants you to know God’s Love, and Hers as well. I know (and so do you!) that I am constantly promoting the daily rosary, and so if you haven’t picked it up already, perhaps this May is the month to do so. It takes some time to form a new habit, and devotion – love – is a great motivator. Modified version: Pray a decade of the rosary with your children daily, and finish it on your own.

·      Angelus / Regina Coeli: The Angelus was traditionally prayed at 6 AM, noon, and 6 PM, and during the Easter Season the Regina Coeli is prayed instead. The Angelus recalls the Annunciation, the moment when the Archangel Gabriel appears to Mary and announces that She will become the Mother of God. The Regina Coeli rejoices with Mary in the Resurrection, the Victory of Christ after the suffering of Calvary. Both are worthy prayers to know in English and Latin. You likely know the main portion of the Regina Coeli already, since it is the liturgical Marian antiphon for the Easter Season, and we sing it at the end of our Sunday Masses at this time. Modified Version: Pray the antiphon with your family before saying Grace before dinner, and pray on your own at 6 AM and noon. 

·      Marian Pilgrimage: Pilgrimages are a beautiful part of the Church’s traditional devotion, and I highly recommend that you make an effort to embark on one this month. Often, people think of pilgrimages as having to be to a foreign country or somewhere exotic, in the case of Our Lady somewhere like Guadalupe, Lourdes, or Fatima. It’s probably too late to plan a pilgrimage to one of those places this month, however. Besides, the more important thing is your piety and the confidence you place in Our Lady’s intercession. There are many more-or-less local spots to which you can make a Marian pilgrimage. For example, the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC; (slightly closer) the Basilica of St. Mary in Old Town Alexandria; (slightly further) the National Shrine Grotto at Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD; (even further) the Miraculous Medal Shrine in Philadelphia; any Marian parish in the Diocese of Arlington (St Mary of Sorrows in Fairfax, which has both an historic and a beautiful, new Church; Our Lady of Angels in Woodbridge; Our Lady of Good Counsel in Vienna; St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Fredericksburg; Our Lady of Lourdes in Arlington; Our Lady Queen of Peace in Arlington; Queen of Apostles in Alexandria; Our Lady of the Blue Ridge in Madison; Our Lady of the Valley in Luray; Our Lady of Hope in Potomac Falls; Our Lady of the Shenandoah Mission in Bayse; Annunciation Byzantine-Ukrainian Church in Manassas). On your pilgrimage, it is good to ensure that you pray, and I recommend that you pray 15 decades of the rosary: 5 on the way there, 5 while there, and 5 on the way home. Modified Version: Just pray the rosary while at your pilgrimage site.

·      Marian Reading: There are many books about Our Lady that can teach you and help to increase your devotion through this month. Here are a few to consider: True Devotion to Mary, The Secret of Mary, or The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis de Montfort; Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn; Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary by Brandt Pitre; The World’s First Love by Fulton Sheen; The Glories of Mary by St. Alphonsus Liguori; Mirror of the Blessed Virgin Mary by St. Bonaventure; Mary of Nazareth by Federico Suarez; There are many others out there! Just a few minutes a day, and you can easily finish a book this month. Modified version: Have your children read a book that fits their age, and ask them to share weekly what they have learned.

·      Sacramentals: If you are not in the habit of carrying on your person a rosary or of wearing the Brown Scapular (get enrolled, too!) or the Miraculous Medal, I encourage you to do so! We gladly wear clothing that promotes our favorite sports team or alma mater, but what about our Alma Mater, Mary? 

·      Miraculous Medal Novena: We have been praying this novena as a parish every Monday for decades, and I am praying it specifically for the acquisition of property to resolve our parking difficulties. I pray the Novena prayer (one of the several prayers within the whole novena) daily for this intention, and I invite you to do the same!

There are, I am sure, many other ways in which you could modify these suggestions or tailor them to your specific situation, but the point is that we focus on Our Lady this month. She certainly merits our attention and devotion, and She desires only to lead us to Christ!

In Christ,

Fr. Christensen