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Some of these are Free, others cost money.

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I've been designing Catholic crafts for kids now for... well 13 years. Wow! I didn't realize exactly how many Mary crafts I have made over that time, but it's a lot! So I decided to make this one easy-to-navigate directory to help ya'll find them all. Definitely share and save this link- it will be updated when I come out with new Marian content for kids. You can find all of my ideas about how to honor Mary with kids in May here, and today we are going to look at Mary crafts and activities for Catholic kids.

1. Our Lady of Lourdes Printable pop up craft- especially designed for simple cutting and assembly

2. Printable Mary Peg Dolls- you only have to paint the heads, you decoupage the rest. I give easy to follow step by step directions for how to paint the heads, with pictures from the front, side, and back.

3. Rosary Hanger Craft with Our Lady's image

4. Miraculous Metal Craft- super fun and free printable included!

5. Microwave Puffy Paint Marian Craft

6. 7 Sorrows of Mary printable mobile- its free!

7. Our Lady of Fatima pop up craft- again, easier to build than it looks! So fun for all ages!

8. Immaculate Heart of Mary cookies- I include the "play doh" cookie dough recipe in the post.

9. Mini Mary Garden Terrarium

10. Mary Paper Bag Puppet Craft- In my Saint paper bag puppet download, you'll find all the pieces you need to make practically any Saint you can think of !

11. Queenship of Mary Craft- great for preschoolers

12. Printable Mary Ornament Craft

13. Immaculate Heart of Mary Tie Dyed Shirts- a step by step how-to for you

14. Handprint Craft for the Queenship of Mary

15. Rice Krispy Treat Grotto for Our Lady

16. Immaculte Heart of Mary rosary craft

17. Mary Scripture Memory- printable scripture cards for Catholic kids

18. Grotto Craft- find an easy to use craft kit!

19. Hail Mary Handwriting Practice- great for making sure your kids know each word of the prayer correctly

20. Bible Journaling Mary Scripture- we love bible journaling!

21. Also... since writing this post I came out with another printable pop up Mary diorama... a printable Our Lady of Guadalupe craft! You definitely don't want to miss that one. 🙂

Brand new bonus Mary craft- I now have a printable stand-up Mary statue for kids, and it's free to print!

AND a printable stand up Our Lady Of Kibeho craft as well- the only Vatican approved Marian apparition in all of Africa.

Monthly Liturgical Membership

You May Also Be Interested In...

How To Draw Mary And Jesus step by step video for kids

If you're looking for more ideas, check out my other resources on how to honor Mary with kids.

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Mary Crafts And Activities For Catholic Kids

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I've been designing Catholic crafts for kids now for... well 13 years. Wow! I didn't realize exactly how many Mary crafts I have made over that time, but it's a lot! So I decided to make this one easy-to-navigate directory to help ya'll find them all.

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There are many representations of Mary with this activity.

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There are many representations of Mary with this activity.

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Honoring Mary is a beautiful devotion and a long tradition in the Catholic faith. She was the mother of Jesus, ever a virgin, and always said "yes" to our Lord! You can find all of my ideas on honoring Mary with kids here. Today I would like to share with you a bunch of Mary printables for kids, and more than half of them are totally free to download and print!

I designed these printable Mary pop up dioramas for kids- great for every age!

They're all available in both black and white AND in color. 🙂

In the mean time, I do have this beautiful Our Lady of Guadalupe printable available in my Advent Saints pack.

Monthly Liturgical Membership

Perfect for families! Each month you gain access to printable activity pages, crafts, home altar pieces, and more.

Never has living the liturgical year been so easy and affordable!

This Mary apparation fill in page is great for getting older kids researching! The best part is, it can be used with any Marian apparation. It is free to print from Look To Him And Be Radiant. (Click the last picture in the post for your free pdf)

Have you tried my printable peg dolls? You just decoupage the body, then paint only the heads. I have a few Mary's.

Hopefully these adorable Marian printables with drain your printer ink bring joy to you and your children's hearts! 😉

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Honoring Mary is a beautiful devotion and a long tradition in the Catholic faith. She was the mother of Jesus, ever a virgin, and always said "yes" to our Lord! You can find all of my ideas on honoring Mary with kids here.

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My goal is always to make things fun and relatable for kids because I find that that is when they remember the most! So when I am teaching kids about the rosary, I like to give them a little hands on fun to help the learning stick! Here is a good round up of rosary crafts, activities, and resources for kids. Be sure to check out my 10 tips for praying the rosary with Catholic kids, and then read on to find all the best crafts and activities to go with it!

Make a giant rosary from pool noodles! This goes together cheap and fairly easy, and I have actually used mine to lead rosaries in large groups such as at vacation bible school. Plus, having it with you leaves a lasting impression!

Craft a mysteries of the rosary book with your kids. This is a great way to learn!

Craft the cutest and easiest little pipe cleaner rosary. This is one of my favorite Catholic crafts of all time! So fun, cheap, and easy. Kids love this! We have even made a shamrock version for St. Patrick and also a heart version for the Sacred and Immaculate hearts!

You can make these starter rosaries for Catholic preschoolers to get small kids started on using the rosary beads during prayer time.

Try making a rosary board where the children follow along with a Mary statue rather than counting on actual beads.

I have a printable ebooklet called Learning Your Prayers The Write Way that helps kids learn their rosary prayers through copywork. If you never write the prayers out, they may never know for sure what words they are saying. It includes all the rosary prayers including the Fatima prayer!
Post continues after this brief information about the Catholic Icing Monthly Membership
Monthly Liturgical Membership

Make a diy rosary hanger with your kids so they can proudly display their rosary in their room and reach it whenever they need it.

Try making an edible rosary! This could be small and for one child, such as with cereal or raisins. You can also make big edible rosaries from donut holes or cupcakes. Your creativity is the only limit!

How To Draw A Rosary. This is so easy to draw! It is my absolute easiest how to draw video and it has the right number of beads. Yay!

For more of a drawing challenge, try out my How To Draw Our Lady Of The Rosary video! This is so great for older kids. Give it a try! (There is also a free printable coloring page of this image available from the same post for those too little to draw her themselves.)

How To Make A Rosary. You can now string your own rosary without needing any specialty supplies. All you need is string and pony beads!

Sew Our Lady Of The Rosary. I just love these little sew-your-own-Saint-stuffy kits from Faith and Fabric. What a great way to celebrate with your Catholic kiddos!

If you're looking for more ideas, check out my resources on how to honor Mary with kids.

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Rosary Resources, Activities, And Crafts For Catholic Kids

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My goal is always to make things fun and relatable for kids because I find that that is when they remember the most! So when I am teaching kids about the rosary, I like to give them a little hands ...

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Understanding Mother Mary better through Mother Earth • Whether Here or There

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As a convert to Catholicism, I have trouble relating to Mary. Then I found symbolic connections between Mary and Mother Earth, freeing me to embrace both.

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What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ ( CCC 487). Last May, Pope Francis stated that "Love for the Madonna is one of the characteristics of popular piety, which must be valued and directed. For this reason I invite you to meditate on the last chapter of the second Vatican Council's constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium (58), which speaks precisely of Mary in the mystery of Christ and the Church. There it is stated that Mary "advanced in the pilgrimage of faith".

The custom of dedicating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin began around the end of the 13th century. Pope Pius XII stated in his encyclical Mediator Dei, that "there are, besides, other exercises of piety which, although not strictly belonging to the sacred liturgy, are, nevertheless, of special import and dignity ... Among these are the prayers usually said during the month of May in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God ( 182)."
Catechetical Resources for Marian Devotions for May
Here are five suggestions on ways to honor our mother Mary this May:
1) Learn more about why Catholics venerate Mary 2) Participate in a May Crowning at your parish 3) Pray the Rosary and other Marian prayers 4) Sing Marian Hymns in your home 5) Plant a Mary Garden (with Texas native, drought-resistant plants!)
1) Learn More about why Catholics venerate Mary

Why does Mary have a special role in helping us?

As the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary has a unique position among the saints, indeed, among all creatures. She is exalted, yet still one of us.

Redeemed by reason of the merits of her Son and united to Him by a close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with the high office and dignity of being the Mother of the Son of God, by which account she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this gift of sublime grace she far surpasses all creatures, both in heaven and on earth. At the same time, however, because she belongs to the offspring of Adam she is one with all those who are to be saved.

Mary embraces God's will and freely chooses to cooperate with God's grace, thereby fulfilling a crucial role in God's plan of salvation. Throughout the centuries, the Church has turned to the Blessed Virgin in order to come closer to Christ. Many forms of piety toward the Mother of God developed that help bring us closer to her Son. In these devotions to Mary, "while the Mother is honored, the Son, through whom all things have their being and in whom it has pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell, is rightly known, loved and glorified and . . . all His commands are observed."33 The Church honors her as the Mother of God, looks to her as a model of perfect discipleship, and asks for her prayers to God on our behalf.

How does our veneration of Mary and the saints relate to our worship of God?

The honor we give to God alone is properly called adoration, the highest honor we can give. The honor we give to Mary and the saints is called veneration. Proper veneration of the saints does not interfere with the worship due to God, but rather fosters it. "Our communion with those in heaven, provided that it is understood in the fuller light of faith according to its genuine nature, in no way weakens, but conversely, more thoroughly enriches the latreutic worship we give to God the Father, through Christ, in the Spirit." With this understanding, we see that proper veneration of Mary does not detract from worship of God. Even as the Mother of the Savior, Mary has a place that is in every way subordinate to and dependent upon that of her Son, who is the one mediator between God and humanity. The maternal role that Mary fulfills toward us as Mother of the Church "in no wise obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows His power."

The Second Vatican Council explained very clearly that Mary can be said to fulfill a mediating role only in a secondary and derivative manner:

For no creature could ever be counted as equal with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer. Just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by the ministers and by the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is really communicated in different ways to His creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source.

What Mary does for the salvation of the human family does not come from her own power, but from a gift of divine grace that is bestowed on her through her Son. All the salvific influence that she bestows on us is produced "not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on His mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it."38 Mary in no way replaces Christ. Rather, her role is to bring us to Christ, as is illustrated in Mary's admonition at the wedding feast of Cana, "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5).

2) Participate in a May Crowning at your parish

The rite of crowning an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary can take place either within Mass or outside of Mass. The official rite provides text for either event. The rite is best celebrated on a Marian solemnity or feast, but should never happen on a solemnity of Our Lord or on a penitential day (so, not during Lent). The crowning is not technically restricted to the month of May. If it is planned for within Mass, it takes places after the homily.

3) Pray the Rosary and other Marian prayers

The Rosary, or Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is one of the most excellent prayers to the Mother of God. Thus, "the Roman Pontiffs have repeatedly exhorted the faithful to the frequent recitation of this biblically inspired prayer which is centered on contemplation of the salvific events of Christ's life, and their close association with the his Virgin Mother. The value and efficacy of this prayer have often been attested by saintly Bishops and those advanced in holiness of life".The Rosary is essentially a contemplative prayer, which requires "tranquillity of rhythm or even a mental lingering which encourages the faithful to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life". Its use is expressly recommended in the formation and spiritual life of clerics and religious. [Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy]

By disposition of Benedict XIV (2 April 1742), the Angelus is replaced with the antiphon Regina Coeli during paschaltide. This antiphon, probably dating from the tenth or eleventh century, happily conjoins the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word (quem meruisti portare) with the Paschal event (resurrexit sicut dixit). The ecclesial community addresses this antiphon to Mary for the Resurrection of her Son. It adverts to, and depends on, the invitation to joy addressed by Gabriel to the Lord's humble servant who was called to become the Mother of the saving Messiah (Ave, gratia plena). [Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy]

Litanies are to be found among the prayers to the Blessed Virgin recommended by the Magisterium. These consist in a long series of invocations of Our Lady, which follow in a uniform rhythm, thereby creating a stream of prayer characterized by insistent praise and supplication. The invocations, generally very short, have two parts: the first of praise (Virgo clemens), the other of supplication (Ora pro nobis). [Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy]

4) Sing Marian Hymns in your home

"Bring Flowers to the Fairest"

"Hail, Holy Queen Enthroned Above"

5) Plant a Mary Garden (with Texas native, drought-resistant plants!)

A fun way to honor Mary is to plant a garden with flowers and herbs that have been thought to symbolize Mary and her life. Mary Gardens date back all the way to the 7th Century. There are hundreds of plants that are associated with Mary that can be included in your garden. Here are some flowers that are both rich in Marian symbolism and can be found on the Texas Superstars list (disease and insect tolerant, tolerant of hot dry summers):

Common Name

Scientific Name

Medieval Name/
Religious Meaning

Larkspur

Consolida ambigua '

Bunny Bloom' Larkspur

Mary's Tears

Lilac

Vitex agnus-castus, Vitex, Texas Lilac, or Chaste Tree

Ascension Flower

Petunia

Petunia violacea 'VIP'

Lady's Praise

Rose

'Knock Out' Rose

Red Roses: Mary's Sorrow and the Blood of Christ. Also martyrdom.

Summor Phlox

Phlox paniculata 'Victoria'

Christ's-Cross Flower

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What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ ( CCC 487). Last May, Pope Francis stated that "Love for the Madonna is one of the characteristics of popular piety, which must be valued and directed.

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Catholic Activity: Mary Garden

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The joy over the appearance of new plants and flowers in spring prompted man to attribute to them a special power of protection and healing. People planted special spring flower gardens; they brought branches of early-blossoming plants, like pussy willows, into their homes; they decorated themselves and their living rooms with wreaths of flowers and clusters of blossoms. A striking Christian variation of these nature rites was the medieval custom of planting "Mary gardens," which were made up of all the flowers and herbs that are ascribed by love and legend as a special tribute to the Blessed Virgin. This charming and inspiring tradition has been revived in many places in Europe and more recently in this country.

DIRECTIONS

In a typical Mary garden the statue of the Madonna occupies a place of honor, either in the center or in a grotto against the wall, with, usually, a birdbath or bubbling fountain built in front of it. Some of the more familiar plants of the many that belong in a typical Mary garden are:

Columbine and Trefoil are said to have sprung forth at the touch of Mary's foot, and consequently bear the popular names Our Lady's shoes or Our Lady's slippers.
Marigold (Mary's bud) has bell-shaped blossoms of vivid yellow. An old legend says, "Her dresses were adorned with Marigold." This flower was used to decorate her shrines for the Feast of the Annunciation (March 25) and during the month of May.

Lily-of-the-valley (Our Lady's tears). This delicate flower is still widely used in Germany, there it is called Maiglockchen (May bells), to decorate the Mary shrines in churches and homes during the Virgin's month (May).

Foxgloves thrive in moist and shaded places; they blossom in many colors and present a most attractive sight with their clusters of little bells, which were called Our Lady's thimbles in medieval times.

Snowdrop. This charming flower is the first herald of spring in Europe. It often blossoms as early as Candlemas (February 2) between batches of melting snow; hence the name. In Germany it is called "Snow bell" ( Schneeglocklein). Little bouquets of snowdrops are the first floral tribute of the year at the shrines of the Madonna on Candlemas. It is a popular emblem of Mary's radiant purity and of her freedom from any stain of sin.

Lily. This stately and dignified flower has been associated from ancient times with Jesus and Mary, and is called Madonna lily in many parts of Europe. At Easter its brilliant and fragrant blossoms symbolize the radiance of the Lord's risen life. Later in the year it is used to decorate the shrines of Mary, especially on July 2, the Feast of the Visitation. It also is an old and traditional symbol of innocence, purity, and virginity.

Rosemary produces delicate and fragrant blossoms of pale blue color in early spring. according to legend, the plant originally bloomed in white; however, it turned blue (Mary's color) in reward for the service it offered when Our Lady looked for some bush on which to spread her Child's tiny garments after having washed them on the way to Egypt. The bushes do not grow very tall but as they grow older they spread out and thicken, forming a dense bush. There is an old superstition that "the rosemary passeth not commonly the height of Christ when he was on earth."

Violets are dedicated to Mary as symbols of her humility. They are said to have blossomed forth outside her window when she spoke the words, "Behold, I am a handmaid of the Lord." Leaving her, the angel of God blessed the little flowers in passing, thus endowing them with the tenderest and most beautiful fragrance of all plants.

Roses were associated with Mary from early times. Saint Dominic (1221) is credited with the spreading of the familiar devotion called the "Rosary ( rosarium) of the Blessed Virgin Mary." The word "rosary" originally meant a rose garden but was later used in the sense of "rose garland." Three colors are especially consecrated to Mary: white roses as symbols of her joys, red roses as emblems of her sufferings, and yellow (golden) roses as heralds of her glories.

Activity Source: Easter Book, The by Francis X. Weiser, S.J., Harcourt, Brace and Company, New York, 1954

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Liturgical Year : Activities : Mary Garden

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N/A 11+ The joy over the appearance of new plants and flowers in spring prompted man to attribute to them a special power of protection and healing.

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What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ ( CCC 487). Last May, Pope Francis stated that "Love for the Madonna is one of the characteristics of popular piety, which must be valued and directed. For this reason I invite you to meditate on the last chapter of the second Vatican Council's constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium (58), which speaks precisely of Mary in the mystery of Christ and the Church. There it is stated that Mary "advanced in the pilgrimage of faith".

The custom of dedicating the month of May to the Blessed Virgin began around the end of the 13th century. Pope Pius XII stated in his encyclical Mediator Dei, that "there are, besides, other exercises of piety which, although not strictly belonging to the sacred liturgy, are, nevertheless, of special import and dignity ... Among these are the prayers usually said during the month of May in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mother of God ( 182)."
Catechetical Resources for Marian Devotions for May
Here are five suggestions on ways to honor our mother Mary this May:
1) Learn more about why Catholics venerate Mary 2) Participate in a May Crowning at your parish 3) Pray the Rosary and other Marian prayers 4) Sing Marian Hymns in your home 5) Plant a Mary Garden (with Texas native, drought-resistant plants!)
1) Learn More about why Catholics venerate Mary

Why does Mary have a special role in helping us?

As the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary has a unique position among the saints, indeed, among all creatures. She is exalted, yet still one of us.

Redeemed by reason of the merits of her Son and united to Him by a close and indissoluble tie, she is endowed with the high office and dignity of being the Mother of the Son of God, by which account she is also the beloved daughter of the Father and the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this gift of sublime grace she far surpasses all creatures, both in heaven and on earth. At the same time, however, because she belongs to the offspring of Adam she is one with all those who are to be saved.

Mary embraces God's will and freely chooses to cooperate with God's grace, thereby fulfilling a crucial role in God's plan of salvation. Throughout the centuries, the Church has turned to the Blessed Virgin in order to come closer to Christ. Many forms of piety toward the Mother of God developed that help bring us closer to her Son. In these devotions to Mary, "while the Mother is honored, the Son, through whom all things have their being and in whom it has pleased the Father that all fullness should dwell, is rightly known, loved and glorified and . . . all His commands are observed."33 The Church honors her as the Mother of God, looks to her as a model of perfect discipleship, and asks for her prayers to God on our behalf.

How does our veneration of Mary and the saints relate to our worship of God?

The honor we give to God alone is properly called adoration, the highest honor we can give. The honor we give to Mary and the saints is called veneration. Proper veneration of the saints does not interfere with the worship due to God, but rather fosters it. "Our communion with those in heaven, provided that it is understood in the fuller light of faith according to its genuine nature, in no way weakens, but conversely, more thoroughly enriches the latreutic worship we give to God the Father, through Christ, in the Spirit." With this understanding, we see that proper veneration of Mary does not detract from worship of God. Even as the Mother of the Savior, Mary has a place that is in every way subordinate to and dependent upon that of her Son, who is the one mediator between God and humanity. The maternal role that Mary fulfills toward us as Mother of the Church "in no wise obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows His power."

The Second Vatican Council explained very clearly that Mary can be said to fulfill a mediating role only in a secondary and derivative manner:

For no creature could ever be counted as equal with the Incarnate Word and Redeemer. Just as the priesthood of Christ is shared in various ways both by the ministers and by the faithful, and as the one goodness of God is really communicated in different ways to His creatures, so also the unique mediation of the Redeemer does not exclude but rather gives rise to a manifold cooperation which is but a sharing in this one source.

What Mary does for the salvation of the human family does not come from her own power, but from a gift of divine grace that is bestowed on her through her Son. All the salvific influence that she bestows on us is produced "not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on His mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it."38 Mary in no way replaces Christ. Rather, her role is to bring us to Christ, as is illustrated in Mary's admonition at the wedding feast of Cana, "Do whatever he tells you" (Jn 2:5).

2) Participate in a May Crowning at your parish

The rite of crowning an image of the Blessed Virgin Mary can take place either within Mass or outside of Mass. The official rite provides text for either event. The rite is best celebrated on a Marian solemnity or feast, but should never happen on a solemnity of Our Lord or on a penitential day (so, not during Lent). The crowning is not technically restricted to the month of May. If it is planned for within Mass, it takes places after the homily.

3) Pray the Rosary and other Marian prayers

The Rosary, or Psalter of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is one of the most excellent prayers to the Mother of God. Thus, "the Roman Pontiffs have repeatedly exhorted the faithful to the frequent recitation of this biblically inspired prayer which is centered on contemplation of the salvific events of Christ's life, and their close association with the his Virgin Mother. The value and efficacy of this prayer have often been attested by saintly Bishops and those advanced in holiness of life".The Rosary is essentially a contemplative prayer, which requires "tranquillity of rhythm or even a mental lingering which encourages the faithful to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life". Its use is expressly recommended in the formation and spiritual life of clerics and religious. [Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy]

By disposition of Benedict XIV (2 April 1742), the Angelus is replaced with the antiphon Regina Coeli during paschaltide. This antiphon, probably dating from the tenth or eleventh century, happily conjoins the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word (quem meruisti portare) with the Paschal event (resurrexit sicut dixit). The ecclesial community addresses this antiphon to Mary for the Resurrection of her Son. It adverts to, and depends on, the invitation to joy addressed by Gabriel to the Lord's humble servant who was called to become the Mother of the saving Messiah (Ave, gratia plena). [Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy]

Litanies are to be found among the prayers to the Blessed Virgin recommended by the Magisterium. These consist in a long series of invocations of Our Lady, which follow in a uniform rhythm, thereby creating a stream of prayer characterized by insistent praise and supplication. The invocations, generally very short, have two parts: the first of praise (Virgo clemens), the other of supplication (Ora pro nobis). [Directory on Popular Piety and the Liturgy]

4) Sing Marian Hymns in your home

"Bring Flowers to the Fairest"

"Hail, Holy Queen Enthroned Above"

5) Plant a Mary Garden (with Texas native, drought-resistant plants!)

A fun way to honor Mary is to plant a garden with flowers and herbs that have been thought to symbolize Mary and her life. Mary Gardens date back all the way to the 7th Century. There are hundreds of plants that are associated with Mary that can be included in your garden. Here are some flowers that are both rich in Marian symbolism and can be found on the Texas Superstars list (disease and insect tolerant, tolerant of hot dry summers):

Common Name

Scientific Name

Medieval Name/
Religious Meaning

Larkspur

Consolida ambigua '

Bunny Bloom' Larkspur

Mary's Tears

Lilac

Vitex agnus-castus, Vitex, Texas Lilac, or Chaste Tree

Ascension Flower

Petunia

Petunia violacea 'VIP'

Lady's Praise

Rose

'Knock Out' Rose

Red Roses: Mary's Sorrow and the Blood of Christ. Also martyrdom.

Summor Phlox

Phlox paniculata 'Victoria'

Christ's-Cross Flower

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What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ ( CCC 487). Last May, Pope Francis stated that "Love for the Madonna is one of the characteristics of popular piety, which must be valued and directed.

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Get Your Daily Bread Together With The Catholic Faith Store

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In the Catholic Church the month of May is Mary's month. It's the month we honor Blessed Mary as the Mother of Jesus and our Heavenly Mother. If you attended Catholic school, you probably remember taking part in the "May crowning" in the beginning of May-where a wreath of flowers was placed on the head of the statue of Mary as prayers were said. As an older student you understood that this ritual was a way to show our love for Mary.

When you were in pre-school or kindergarten, you probably only remember it as a day you got to be outside! As an adult, have you ever stopped and wondered why May is Mary's month? Why not April or June? With the arrival of May, we thought this is the perfect time to learn how this practice all began and to answer the question: "Why May?"

Why May?

Historians aren't exactly sure why May was chosen to honor Mary, but many believe that May being the month when spring is in full bloom has a lot to do with it. May is the height of spring-gardens everywhere are alive with blooming flowers and trees are filling their branches with leaves. This new beginning and new birth in nature reminds us of the life Mary gave to Jesus. Without Mary giving birth to Jesus, all the events that followed: Jesus' life, death, and resurrection wouldn't have happened. So, it's believed that May (when nature is showing signs of life) is the ideal month to honor the woman who gave life to our Savior.

Ancient Connection

Another belief as to why May was chosen to honor Mary dates back to the ancient Greeks and Romans. In the ancient Greek world, May was dedicated to Artemis, the goddess of fertility and life. Roman culture linked the month of May to Flora, the goddess of bloom and blossoms. The Romans celebrated ludi florales (floral games) as a preparation for entering into the month of May and to celebrate the beginning of spring. (The month of May was the official beginning of spring in the Roman culture). Over time, the ancient tradition of celebrating life and fertility in the May led Christians to adopt May as the month to honor the Mother of Jesus.

When Did the Tradition of Honoring Mary in May Begin?

The custom of dedicating the month of May to Mary dates back to the 13th century. But it might come as a surprise to know that it wasn't until the 18th century when this practice became popular. The practice became common among the members of the Jesuit Order in Rome. Because of the far reach of the order's schools, the devotion took hold, and by the 1700's it began to spread worldwide.

Purpose of Crowning Mary

It's a Catholic tradition to honor Mary during the month of May by crowning her statue with flowers. The reason why we crown Mary is best summed up by Pope Paul VI who wrote in 1965 that May is an occasion for a "moving tribute of faith and love which Catholics in every part of the world pay to the Queen of Heaven." The crown symbol is attributed to Mary because she is the Mother of the Son of God, who is our Heavenly King.

Gift Ideas for the Month of Mary

Immaculate Heart of Mary Framed Print

Immaculate Heart of Mary Rosary

How Has Mary Changed Your Life?

In the comments below, tell us what Mary means to you in your life.

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In the Catholic Church the month of May is Mary's month. It's the month we honor Blessed Mary as the Mother of Jesus and our Heavenly Mother. If you attended Catholic school, you probably remember taking part in the "May crowning" in the beginning of May--where a wreath of flowers was placed on the head of the statue of Mary as prayers were said.

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Why do we Honor Mary? More in-depth explanation for older students

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Why do we Honor Mary? More in-depth explanation for older students