Photo by Nheyob at Wikicommons

Two Morning of Grace events in Florida ushered in the month of May with a morning full of sacred sisterhood, spiritual formation, and delicious food, all topped off with the highlight of the day – the crowning of Our Lady.

Lucy Rosario crowns Our Lady, with the help of Denise McCabe, on May 4 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Tampa

Regional Coordinators Denise McKane and Isabelle Liberatore hosted a Morning of Grace in the Tampa Bay Area on May 4 at St. Lawrence Catholic Church. Fourteen women of all ages attended this beautiful morning which featured a delicious potluck breakfast along with a Rosary reflection and spiritual formation.

One of the highlights of the day was the celebration of a May crowning, a popular devotion that dates back to antiquity which designates the month of May as Mary’s month and celebrates this by crowning her as Queen of the May.

“The queen symbol was attributed to Mary because she was a perfect follower of Christ, who is the absolute ‘crown’ of creation,” writes the U.S. Bishops, cited in this article by Catholic author Theresa Cavicchio. “She is the Mother of the Son of God, who is the messianic King ….. [through her consent to God’s plan and perseverance in prayer], in an eminent way, she won the ‘crown of righteousness,’ ‘the crown of life,’ ‘the crown of glory’ that is promised to those who follow Christ.”

Kim Deranek crowns Our Lady during May 4 Morning of Grace event at St. Joan of Arc parish in Boca Raton, FL

It’s a great honor to be chosen to crown Our Lady during these ceremonies. By divine coincidence, the Tampa group randomly selected a woman by the name of Lucy Rosario, to crown a statue of Our Lady of Fatima at the event.

Meanwhile, more than 200 miles away at St. Joan of Arc parish in Boca Raton, Florida, Regional Coordinator Martha Nicoli was also hosting a Morning of Grace where another May Crowning took place. During this event, which was attended by 40 women ranging in age from 35 to 78, a woman named Kim Deranek was also chosen to place a crown of flowers on Our Lady’s head.

Kim, who served as the guest speaker for the event, shared her journey of walking with the Blessed Mother as a young child, and concluded her story with how she gave her “yes” to Jesus through Mary by consecrating herself to Our Lady on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation.

Both events were filled with grace and the peace of knowing that the finest example of the “handmaid of the Lord” is interceding for those of us who wish to follow in her blessed footsteps.

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