May Crowning

WAYNE  The faithful in the Diocese joined Bishop Serratelli in honoring the Blessed Mother during the annual diocesan May Crowning devotion, which took place this year on Sunday, May 6 at one of the Church of Paterson’s many Marian parishes, Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary here.

Bishop Serratelli presided over the ceremony — held in the diocese every May, the month that the Church dedicates to Mary — where he placed a crown of flowers on a statue of the Blessed Mother. Since 2005, the Diocese has had a May Crowning event, which also includes hymns dedicated to Mary and Benediction and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. A reception followed the devotion in Annunciation’s parish hall.

“In honoring Mary, the mother of our Savior, we receive graces,” Bishop Serratelli told the congregation in his welcome at the start of the May Crowning. The Annunciation choir opened the ceremony with the gathering hymn, “Immaculate Mary.”

Worshippers reflected on the Annunciation, as Father Javier Bareno, parochial vicar at Our Lady of the Mountain and St. Mark parishes, both in Long Valley, read Luke 1:26-38 of the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary, telling her, “You will conceive and give birth to a Son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” With great faith and trust in God, Mary responds, “I am the Lord’s servant. May your word to me be fulfilled,” Father Bareno proclaimed.

In that Scripture verse, the Blessed Mother offers us Christians a model of humble service, Father Marcin Kania, parochial vicar of Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Morristown, said in his homily. The priest told worshippers the story of a priest, who visited St. Mother Teresa regularly, and mentioned to her that she was getting shorter and shorter with each visit. With great insight, the future saint told the visiting priest, “We have to get smaller and smaller in order to find the Sacred Heart of Jesus,” Father Kania said. “We should become like Mary — humble and ordinary, listening to the Word of God and following Jesus.”

Before the Gospel, the congregation reflected on the First Reading from Isaiah 9:1-6, which foretells the birth of Jesus. It prophesizes, “The people, who walked in darkness, have seen a great light...For a child is born to us — a son is given us, upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.”

After the readings and homily, Bishop Serratelli presided over the Rite of Crowning, which included thanksgiving, an invocation and intercessions. During the rite, Annunciation’s music ministry sang the hymn, “Mary, We Crown Thee with Flowers.” Maria Katrina Holganza, a 21-year old junior studying biology at William Paterson University, Wayne, presented the Bishop with the crown of flowers. He walked to the statue of the Virgin Mary, placed a crown on her head and then censed the image. Among those serving at the altar with Holganza were her siblings Veronica, 20, also a William Paterson student, and Raphael, 15, a student at Wayne Hills High School.

“This was my first time serving at a May Crowning. I was nervous. I was afraid that I would drop the crown,” Holganza said. She credited Father Kevin Corcoran, diocesan vice chancellor and the Bishop’s priest-secretary, for putting her at ease with his clear instructions. She also told The Beacon that she has served as a lector and altar server at Annunciation and has been active in Catholic Campus Ministry at William Paterson. “When Bishop Serratelli placed the crown on the statue of Mary, it was very humbling. I reflected on all that we know about her,” she said, adding that her family prays the rosary almost every evening — a tradition started by her grandmother.

The May Crowning concluded with Benediction and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and closed with the Marian hymn, “Hail, Holy Queen.”

“It was such a grace for our parish — named for the Annunciation — to host a diocesan event in honor of the Blessed Mother,” Msgr. Peter Doody, pastor, told The Beacon during the reception after the May Crowning. “Also, it gives our parishioners an opportunity to meet Bishop Serratelli personally.”