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Months of Mary

The months of May and October are special months on the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar, dedicated to the veneration of the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus.

 In March 2015, Pope Francis visited Naples. As he addressed his congregation, he told

them that the best way to make sure Jesus remained at the centre of their lives was to
ask His mother to take you to him”. In this simple phrase, Pope Francis, captures
Mary’s role within the Church.

How does the church honour Mary?

The liturgical calendar of the Church is marked by days set aside as Feast, Solemnities and Memorials. These days are highlighted to celebrate the life of a particular Saint, or indeed an aspect of Mary or Jesus. The days dedicated to Mary are usually classified in the following way: 

Some days are connected to particular teaching and beliefs about Mary, such as the Solemnity of the Mother of God, or the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
Some days are connected to Marian Apparitions, such as the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, or the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. 

Some days are connected to specific events that are featured within Scripture, such as the Annunciation or the Visitation.

The Month of Mary is May.

The Month of the Rosary is October.

The Feast of the Immaculate Heart is the Saturday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost.

The First Saturday of each Month is also dedicated to Marian Devotions.

May - The month of Mary

The month of May is a month which has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God. Our heart rejoices at the thought of the moving tribute of faith and love which will soon be paid to the Queen of Heaven in every corner of the earth. For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and in their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God's merciful gifts comes down to us from our mother's throne.

Pope Paul VI, Mense Maio 1965

Praying the Rosary

The Rosary helps us to pray to Jesus through Mary. When we pray the Rosary, we think about the special events, or mysteries, in the lives of Jesus and Mary.

The Rosary is made up of a string of beads and a crucifix. We hold the crucifix in our hands as we pray the Sign of the Cross. Then we pray the Apostles' Creed.

Between the crucifix and the medal of Mary, there is a single bead, followed by a set of three beads and another single bead. We pray the Lord's Prayer as we hold the first single bead and a Hail Mary at each bead in the set of three that follows. Then we pray the Glory Be to the Father. On the next single bead we think about the first mystery and pray the Lord's Prayer.

There are five sets of ten beads; each set is called a decade. We pray a Hail Mary on each bead of a decade as we reflect on a particular mystery in the lives of Jesus and Mary. The Glory Be to the Father is prayed at the end of each set. Between sets is a single bead on which we think about one of the mysteries and pray the Lord's Prayer.

We end by holding the crucifix in our hands as we pray the Sign of the Cross.

 

Click here to visit the Mark Ten Mission website where you can access audio files to support you in praying  a decade of the Rosary at home. Simply press play on an audio file below and follow along. As you pray remember the words from the introductory scripture and pay attention to how God speaks and moves your heart. 

Click here to for creative ways to pray the rosary.

Click here to visit the Loyola Press website where you will find more prayer resources as well as some excellent Marian resources.