Father Hathaway Leads May 2023 Crowning Prayer Service

Father Edward Hathaway, the Rector of the the Basilica, led a May Crowning prayer service this morning with students from The Basilica School of Saint Mary. In his remarks to the students gathered in the Basilica church, he said, “Today we crown Mary as our queen. She is queen of heaven and our own queen because … she is the mother of Christ, who is our king. We honor her by honoring her image. If we could have Mary physically present us, we would. … The image of Mary — our statue or stained-glass windows and miraculous medals — all remind us of Mary’s closeness with us, even though we can’t see her.”

A procession of students placed flowers by the statue, and Mary was crowned by the school’s May Queen, Erin Allen.

Mary, Seat of Wisdom, pray for us.